


A Knight in Pineapple Armor

by ScrapyardBoyfriends



Category: Emmerdale, robron
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-14
Updated: 2016-09-14
Packaged: 2018-07-24 00:09:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 58,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7485666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScrapyardBoyfriends/pseuds/ScrapyardBoyfriends
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Knight/Squire AU to go with my comic. </p><p>Aaron works as a blacksmith at his Uncle's shop in the Kingdom of Emmerdale and gets the opportunity to create a commissioned suit of armor for Prince Robert, returning from exile to make a claim for the throne.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> I have no idea what this is. I've never actually written fan fic before. I'm so sorry. Haha

Wiping away a combination of sweat and soot from his brow, Aaron wrapped his calloused fingers around the handle and brought the hammer down again hard on the smoldering tip of the sword that he held still with his other hand across the anvil. The clang echoed through the shop, mirrored by the pounding of his uncle’s hammer as he was hard at work on a sword commission for Prince Andrew, heir to the throne in the Kingdom of Emmerdale. Cain had owned the shop for years, ever since Aaron had come to Emmerdale, though he knew that the only reason he did was because he had swindled it out from beneath its previous owner. Still, his uncle was good at what he did and so the royal family rewarded him with their patronage. The sword Aaron was working on was merely an ordinary soldier’s weapon, fit for one of the King’s guard or perhaps only the city guard, but he was determined to prove to Cain that he could handle bigger projects. 

A few more strokes of the hammer and Aaron heard Cain lay down the tool. He turned to watch his uncle wipe off his hands and lay the finished sword out on his work table. It was a sight to behold, the craftsmanship exquisite. It was well known that the prince was fond of the lush green lands that surrounded the kingdom, often spending his time visiting the farms that provided Emmerdale with much of its wealth and rumor has it, tending a garden all his own on the castle grounds, not that Aaron had ever been near enough to the castle to see that. Cain had incorporated a twisting masterpiece of intricate vines swirling around the guard of the sword and shining emerald chiseled into a leaf pressed into the pommel. It was a fine weapon, fit for the prince. He was sure to be please with it. 

Cain sighed, stepping back to admire it a moment and then turned to his nephew. “I'm off to the tavern,” he said. “Make sure you lock up when you leave.”

He tossed Aaron a set of heavy iron keys and clapped him on the shoulder on his way out. Aaron groaned as he watched him leave, letting the cool autumn air seep into the furnace in which they worked. This was the third night in a row he was left to close up the shop. He could not really complain though; he was lucky to have the job in the first place. Setting the keys aside, he picked up his hammer again and got back to work. 

An hour later he turned the key in the padlock and tugged on it to make sure it was secure. One never could trust the children of Emmerdale, always about, causing trouble. They had been broken into once before, a fire starting. He was not about to make that mistake again. 

“Thought you'd never be done,” a voice reached him through the darkness. 

Aaron turned around to find Adam loitering around, tugging on his cloak to wrap it tighter around him. He was still hot from working in the shop all day but as the sweat began to cool on his forehead and arms, he too pulled his cloak tighter. 

“Some of us actually put in a full day's work, farm boy,” Aaron laughed. 

“I did plenty of work, thank you,” Adam protested, grinning back. 

God Aaron loved that smile. “In the morning maybe,” Aaron jabbed at his friend’s side, “and then you spent the afternoon skulking around outside the castle hoping for a glimpse of the lovely Princess Victoria!”

Adam punched his shoulder, “No I didn't!”

“Liar,” Aaron chuckled. “Come on, let's head back to the tavern, I could use a drink.” 

The two friends walked through the winding, narrow streets of the lower town toward the local tavern, the Woolpack. His mother owned it, had done for years. Living there did have its advantages, sneaking free ale whenever he wanted. He had not always lived there though. When he had first arrived in Emmerdale, he had his mother had not gotten on at all and he had ended up living with Paddy, the local horse Doctor instead. The local horse Doctor who was secretly terrified of horses, but that was not something he shared with many people. He and Aaron had a special bond, even now. 

“So did you?” Aaron asked as he pushed in through the door, the warmth of the roaring hearth and the press of bodies of the busy tavern rushing to greet him, making him feel at home. 

“Did I what?” Adam asked as they made their way to bar where Aaron's mother was in deep conversation with Paddy. 

“Did you see her?” Aaron elaborated, “Princess Victoria!” He mockingly swooned as he said the name and Adam playfully punched him again, but the smirk on his face was telling. 

“Just for a moment,” he gushed. 

“You’re hopeless,” Aaron sighed as he caught his mother's attention. 

“Aaron, love, what can I get you?” She asked, a warm smile spreading across her face. 

“Two mugs of ale, please Mum,” he told her. 

“Of course, love,” she said and busied herself about getting them. 

“I'm trying to get my mum to let me deliver the crop to the castle now that the harvest is done,” Adam went on as they took their drinks to a table in the back, pushing their way through the tavern’s regular patrons. “Then I can meet her for real and sweep her off her feet!”

“Make friends with the kitchen staff, more like,” Aaron teased. 

“You just wait and see,” Adam sounded determined and Aaron wished, not for the first time, that he had felt this way about him instead. It certainly would have made his life a whole lot easier. 

“Holding my breath,” he said, a sadness creeping unintentionally into his tone. 

It went unnoticed by is friend whose eyes suddenly lit up as he set his ale down on the table with too much force so a bit sloshed out over the sides. “Speaking of the castle, did you hear?”

“Hear what?” He asked, “Not everyone spends all of their free time chatting with the local gossips.”

“Eh! Quiet you!” Adam scoffed. “Anyway, Prince Robert has returned! Saw him ride up to the gates myself on a gorgeous white horse!” 

“Course you would notice the horse,” Aaron laughed. “Prince Robert? Who's that?”

“God Aaron! Do you live under a rock or something?” Aaron just shrugged in response. “Prince Robert, the one that the King exiled years ago! I heard, from some very reliable sources, that there was some altercation, some accident on a hunting trip where some noble’s son was killed…” He paused for dramatic effect, “under nefarious circumstances.”

“Reliable sources and nefarious circumstances?” Aaron snorted. “You've been spending too much time with Pearl and Brenda!”

“Have not!” Adam nearly shouted, his cheeks going a bright red that was not caused by the heat of the flames from the hearth. “In any case, maybe you can join me in ‘skulking’ around the castle, as you put it, because the way the women were fawning all over him when he rode up to the gate, he clearly shares his good looks with his sister!”

“Right,” Aaron rolled his eyes at his friend and took a sip of his ale to hide the smile that started to form on his face.


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robert has lots of feelings and sort of meets Aaron

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...Robert's feelings made this chapter way longer than I intended, but oh well. Also...Pineapples

There was a bowl of fruit sitting on the table in an artfully casual and nonthreatening manner. Robert imagined the staff rushing to place it into his old room in the castle when he arrived without warning at the gate, trying to make sure it appeared as if it was always there, as if he had not been exiled for the past nine years. He was still in exile, even in this very room, but he meant to change that. He let his fingers drift over the selection, apples, grapes, oranges before he came to a pineapple. Staring at it for a moment, he picked it up in his large hands and turned it over a few times, examining it. Every other fruit in the bowl he could just pick up and eat or peel it using just edge on his fingernails, but the pineapple, that he had to work at. The pineapple would require a knife and effort. He set it back down in the bowl and eyed it suspiciously. His life was like a pineapple, something he had to work at. Nothing ever seemed to come easy to him, not when it came to his family. 

He turned his attention to the table it sat on now, running his hand across the scarred wood, feeling old memories seep back into his mind through his fingertips with each imperfection he found. One particularly large dent made by his own sword when he and Andy had fought each other after his brother had found him in bed with the now, Princess Katherine. The title turned his stomach a little. It was not as though he thought his father would not name Andy as his heir, but it still stung a little. A lot if he was being honest. The little foundling turned doting son had gotten it all, the title, the girl, his family. None of it was fair. 

He felt two delicate hands run across his shoulders and unfasten his cloak, letting it fall to the floor. He had his own princess now, he reminded himself, a smug grin tugging the corners of his mouth upwards. And she was a princess in her own right, though her father's kingdom was small, it was also rich and influential. Turning around in her embrace, he dipped down to kiss her soft lips, pulling her body flush against his. 

“How does it feel being home?” She asked as she pulled back. 

Robert didn’t want to think about that now. He just wanted to lose himself in her for a little while and forget the barrage of old memories and doubts and insecurities that were assaulting him, almost physically it felt like. Just being back here within these walls was making him feel as unworthy as he used to as a boy. He shook his head. No, he reminded himself, he may have been sent away with his tail between his legs, but he had made something of himself while he was away and he was going to prove it. He needed to show his father that he was wrong about him. It was almost as if his life depended on it. 

Chrissie was looking at him, expectantly, waiting for his answer. A thousand quips died on his tongue and his honest answer surprised him. “Uncomfortable,” he finally said. 

“I think I can help with that,” she said with a sinful smile, her fingers deftly unraveling the lacing of his riding leathers. 

Robert sighed. The moment was lost now he had a chance to think too much. He pushed her hands away, much to her annoyance, but was rewarded with good timing as her father, King Lawrence, strode into the room with Lachlan, Chrissie’s son, trailing behind with his pathetic excuse for a hunting dog nipping at his heels. The moment was well and truly lost now and he wasn't all that bothered. 

“Not interrupting anything are we?” The King asked, a satisfied smirk on his face. 

“Like you would care if you had,” Robert muttered under his breath. King Lawrence only cared about his daughter’s relationship so far as it could get him what he wanted and just now he was feeling put out and therefore extra pleased with himself for ruining their time together. What Lawrence wanted was an alliance with Emmerdale and though he doubted Robert could really get it for him, he knew that he needed him if he had any hope. He really was an opportunistic bastard, but then again, so was Robert. They were almost a perfect pair. 

His marriage to Chrissie was a means to an end really, a way to show his father that he could bring something to the table. An alliance with King Lawrence could mean great things for Emmerdale. It wasn’t as though his relationship with Chrissie meant nothing to him though. He enjoyed the fact that for whatever reason, Chrissie seemed to love him, that she made him feel worthy of love, and he loved her in his own way in return. It wasn’t perfect, or simple. It was complicated as hell really, but it felt safe for now and it was what seemed necessary. 

“We’ve been here for a half a day and a morning now. Is this father of yours ever going to actually grant you an audience or was this all a waste of time?” Lawrence complained.

“Father!” Chrissie scolded him. 

“No, it’s all right,” Robert sighed. “He’ll see me eventually, he just wants to make me wait as long as he possibly can.” He hoped that he was right about that, but truthfully, he half expected the guard to come and escort him out of the castle at any moment. The clatter of footsteps rushing outside his walls only heightened his fears. 

“Robert!” he was greeted by a friendly, high-pitched voice instead of the rough hands and swords he was expecting to come around the corner. Victoria burst into the room and all but threw herself into his arms. He scooped her up and spun her around, the skirts of her dress flying about her. She was so big, he could hardly believe it. She had just been a little girl when he had been forced to leave. God how he missed her. With her in his arms, it almost felt like home again. 

“Miss me?” he said when he set her down, an untamable grin spreading across his face. 

“Oh Robert!” she practically squealed. “I can’t believe you’re really here!” 

“In the flesh,” he quipped. 

She glanced around the room then, as if suddenly noticing that there were other people there. All of a sudden she went shy, nodding and curtseying toward them. “Robert?” she questioned, her tone soft but intensely curious. 

“Victoria, may I present to you,” he began with a flourish of his hands as if he were an actor putting on a show, another metaphor for his life, “the Princess Christine and her father, King Lawrence of Hotten. And this is Chrissie’s son, Prince Lachlan and his hunting dog...Dog.” God that was stupid name. The mangy creature just whined at him and laid down at Lachlan’s feet, mocking its very purpose. 

Victoria’s eyes grew wide with intrigue. “Is she your–”

“Wife?” he finished for her. “She will be. And Chrissie, your grace, this is my sister, Princess Victoria.” 

Chrissie smiled at her and Lawrence gave her a curt nod. Lachlan just gaped at her and Robert hoped he wasn’t getting any ideas. A tension settled over the room as they all stood there in uncomfortable silence, no one quite sure what to say to one another. Robert wanted to speak with his sister, to catch up after all of this time, but he felt awkward doing it in front of his new family. So instead, he just stood there, like an idiot, hoping the moment would pass soon. 

“So…” Victoria broke the silence first. “Have you seen Father?” 

That was not exactly the subject change he was hoping for. 

“That would require him to deign to acknowledge my existence,” he said bitterly. “He’s already had me waiting hours.” 

“Oh, stop being so dramatic, Robert,” Victoria said, grabbing his hand and pulling him out of the room. Chrissie and her father followed at a distance, for which he was grateful. 

Victoria leaned against him as she led him down the familiar corridors of his misspent youth, more memories flooding back, pounding at his subconscious. They were like ghosts playing out scenes before his eyes, an argument with Andy there in front of that old hunting tapestry of his grandfather, a stolen moment with Katie in that spare bedroom, his mother putting her favorite flowers in the vase on that table that now sat unused and covered in dust, and finally he saw a ghost of himself standing in the doorway to his father’s solar being told to ‘leave and never come back’. Now here he was, back, and the sound of his father’s voice drifting out into the hallway sent a shiver running down his spine. 

“Ready?” Victoria asked him. 

No, he thought. “Of course,” he said instead and let her guide him into the room.   
Robert gulped audibly as he took in the sight of his father sitting in his high backed chair at the ornately carved table in the room and hoped that no one noticed. Even after all of these years, his father still intimidated him. As he took a closer look though, he saw that the rumors were true. He had needed to see for himself. Where once there would have been scrolls and royal decrees spread across the table’s surface, his father’s hand wrapped around a quill, there was breakfast set out instead, a fork loosely gripped in his hand as though he could not hold it tighter. Normally, he would have taken his meals in the great hall, his family and various nobles wanting to curry favor with him in attendance. Now though, Andy was sat across from him with Katie by his side. Diane, his stepmother, sat close to his father, watching him closely as though he might break at any moment. Still, his father scoffed at her when she fussed over him, that stubborn streak in him still present. 

Legs nearly buckling beneath him and feet rooted to the soft carpets, Robert found that he couldn’t move, much less speak to announce his presence. Chrissie and Lawrence crowded in behind him and he knew he was supposed to be saying something but his mouth was suddenly so dry. It was Victoria that got a word out first. 

“Father,” she said and the man looked up at them. 

“Robert,” he said with ambivalence, “I did not send for you yet.” 

“No you didn’t,” he found his voice at last though it sounded rough and strangled. 

“Can’t you let us eat in peace before you ruin everything,” Katie interjected and Robert wanted to reach across the table and slap her. 

“I don’t know why you bothered to come back, Robert,” Andy added. 

“Victoria, your plate is here,” Diane said neutrally, pointing to the empty place at the table. 

There was no place for Robert, that was clear, but he came here to make one, for him and his new family since the old one didn’t want him anymore. “Well when you’re finished eating, your grace, I’d like to speak with you. I think you’ll find you might be interested in what I have to say,” he said coldly. 

His father pushed his plate away and turned to stare at him. “I’m done now, what is it you have to say to me, Robert?” 

Robert rolled his shoulders back and puffed out his chest a little, hoping desperately it made him seem more confident. “I’d heard you’d upjumped orphan Andy to be your heir but I had to see it with my own eyes.”

“Watch your mouth, Robert!” Katie cut in.   
“You just better watch where she puts hers, Andy,” he shot back, glaring at her. 

“ENOUGH!” his father roared with all the strength he could muster. It left him visibly weak for a moment but he recovered quickly. “Get on with it Robert. What is it that you want?”

“I want to tell you that I think you’re making a massive mistake in leaving this kingdom in inadequate hands!” He pointed at Andy who slammed down his fork onto his plate and gripped onto his knife instead. “Andy can’t offer you anything, but I can.” He motioned for Chrissie and Lawrence to step forward and his father seemed to take notice of them for the first time. 

“Your Grace,” his father nodded respectfully at the foreign king. 

“Yes, I believe you met once a long time ago,” Robert continued, feeling his courage building. “But may I reintroduce you to King Lawrence of Hotten and his daughter, the Princess Christine, soon to be my wife.” He allowed himself a small smile as his father sat himself up straighter. “I can offer you wealth and a lucrative alliance.” 

“Excuse me,” Andy interrupted his speech, “but Emmerdale is doing just fine on its own. The harvests from the farms this year have been bountiful and we have lucrative contracts of our own that I have set up.” 

“And with King Lawrence’s wealth we could transport those goods even farther and set ourselves up even better!” 

“It’s not all about money, Robert!” Andy argued. 

“No, it’s not,” his father agreed, but Robert could see the wheels turning in his mind and dared to hope. 

“I’m just asking for your consideration, father. I’m your real son. Don’t you want your legacy carried on by your own flesh and blood!” 

His father’s face darkened and Robert knew he had gone a step too far. He was pleased when a knock came at the door and it swung open to reveal a servant that had been there from when he was a boy. She had bandaged up his scraped knee once when he was no more than five. He smiled fondly at the memory of her kindness. 

“I’m sorry, Your Graces,” she said, bowing, “the blacksmith, Cain, has come to deliver a sword.” 

Robert watched Andy’s eyes light up as he rose from his chair and instantly he felt irritated.

“We should meet him in the throne room,” his father stated, putting a hand on the table to help himself stand. Diane sprang to her feet to wrap a steadying arm around him.   
“Let Andy go, Jack,” Diane whispered softly in his ear. “You’re not up to it.” 

“Then have him bring the sword here,” his father demanded. “I want to see what I am paying for.” 

“Very well,” Andy agreed and sat back down. 

Robert paced around his little corner of the room as they waited for the blacksmith. He was not entirely sure what to do with himself. He certainly was not finished discussing the matter of succession but it seemed the subject was closed for the moment as they all waited for a bloody sword. It was absurd. He glanced at King Lawrence, who just looked annoyed with the whole ordeal, which chafed at him. It wasn’t that he felt some desperate need to please Lawrence, but disappointing two father figures at the same time was making him feel even less than he normally did. Victoria was looking at him with sad, apologetic eyes and he couldn’t help feeling that he had disappointed her as well. He knew that all she would want is for them all to get along and be a proper family and he wasn’t sure he could ever give her that. Chrissie was there, trying to catch hold of his shoulders to keep him still, gazing at him with love in her eyes, but he kept brushing her off, unable to stop fidgeting. 

“Your Graces,” the servant announced as she came back in with the blacksmith. 

Robert kept pacing. 

“Your Grace,” he heard a new voice say but barely looked up. He figured it must be this Cain, the blacksmith.

He registered the clattering of plates as breakfast was moved aside to clear the table. “Put it out here, I’d like to see it,” Andy said. 

He heard the hiss of steel against leather as the sword was pulled from the scabbard and the soft clang as it was laid out on the table. Robert allowed himself to look then, at the intricately carved broadsword. It was a fine weapon, he had to admit it, though he had seen better. He owned better, he told himself as Andy gushed over the blade. Robert’s pacing took him a few steps closer to the table to get a better look, hating himself for caring. Chrissie followed, again trying and failing to get him to stand still. He brushed her off again and had a glance at Cain, stood there cocky and arrogant in his assumption that he was the best at what he did. Robert scoffed to himself, vaguely remembering the man who he’d sworn had been a common thief in town the last time he’d seen him. He caught a glimpse of someone stood behind him, not the servant, and slowed to take another look. Then he stopped. 

A pair of blue eyes met his, a shy smile on a lightly stubbled face. One corner of Robert’s mouth ticked up in a half smile of his own as he felt the blue eyes running over his body. They stopped when the man realized he was being watched, but Robert’s eyes kept traveling over his body with little shame, taking in toned muscles of his arms that lay beneath the fabric of his tunic. He felt a heat pooling in his stomach and fluttering in his heart that he wasn’t accustomed to. Feeling pressure on his arm, he looked down to find Chrissie’s hand there again and he just stared at it for a moment, even more annoyed that it was there. 

“It is exquisite work as always Cain,” he faintly heard Andy say and when he looked up, all he saw was the rippling fabric of the man’s black cloak as he left the room. Robert returned to his pacing. 

Later, he sat in his room at that old wooden table. Chrissie had gone to settle Lachlan in, leaving him alone to think. Thinking was his enemy at times like these. His father had hardly been receptive toward him, but he had expected nothing less. There had been a slight flicker of consideration in his eyes though and Robert had to hold onto that. Taking the pineapple from the fruit bowl again, he sat it on the surface of the table and slipped his knife out from his belt. This was all going to take a bit of work, but he had known that coming back here. It was not going to be easy. Holding the pineapple still, he drew back the knife and plunged it through the thick, prickly skin, sinking it into the fleshy, juicy center he couldn’t see. He thought of blue eyes and smiled to himself, daring to hope.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fixing a broken fence brings exciting opportunities for Aaron and Adam

“Oi! If you’re going to help, then help!” Adam nudged him with the plank of wood he had cut to repair the broken fence. 

Aaron barely registered his friend’s voice but he felt the scrape of the wood against the fabric of his shirt and looked up, taking hold of the free end and helping Adam carry it over to the hole in the fence. “Sorry,” he huffed. 

“What brings you out this way anyway?” 

“Cain said I was being moody and sent me home so I thought I'd come see if I could be useful here. Anyway, Dan’s at the shop to do all of the busy work.”

“Yes, right lot of help you're being,” Adam jested. “And you, moody, that's just not possible!”

“Right, that's enough. Are we fixing this fence or what?”

Adam nodded and held the plank in place while Aaron hammered a nail in place to secure it. He felt Adam’s eyes on him as they worked, watching his every move as though he could figure out what was wrong with him just by looking. What is wrong with me? He thought, as he found himself daydreaming of about a different set of eyes, blue-green and intense. He couldn't help himself as he pictured that stray piece of blonde hair falling across his forehead, the way his riding leathers had hugged his body in all of the right places. He held onto the feeling of those eyes dragging across his own body, telling himself he had not merely imagined it. 

“Aaron!” Adam’s voice broke through his thoughts again. “Maybe I should get Dan over here to help me and send you back to the shop!”

“S-sorry,” he stuttered. 

“What's got you in this mood anyway? You still frustrated Cain didn't let you help with that sword for Prince Andrew? I can have my mum put in a good word for you with him. You know he listens to her.”

“No, it's not that,” he said. It was that, sort of, but he would prove himself eventually. The sword made him think of those eyes again. This was a dangerous cycle. He was turning into Adam after all. There was an opportunity, he smiled to himself. He'd almost forgotten all about it considering his own unhealthy obsession that he was harboring. “Cain let me go with him to the castle to deliver the sword,” he said pointedly, raising his eyebrows slightly. 

“And that's not what you led with? Aaron! I can't count on you for anything!” Adam exclaimed, shoving him off balance and making him drop his side of the next wood plank. 

Aaron just smirked back at him. 

“So...did you see her?” He pressed him for more information. 

Aaron nodded, still grinning, but not about Princess Victoria. God he was losing it. 

“And?” Adam was practically begging, his tongue starting to loll out of his mouth like some eager puppy. “What was she like? Was she as beautiful up close?”

He snorted and looked at him, shrugging his shoulders.

“Of course, why am I even asking you? You were probably too busy ogling Prince Robert!”

Shit! Aaron gulped. 

Adam noticed and suddenly could not contain his laughter. “I knew it! I knew you wouldn't be able to resist him. So, you are coming ‘skulking’ with me later aren't you?”

It was Aaron's turn to shove Adam and they both collapsed on the ground in fits of laughter. They were both so far gone it was sad. Several minutes passed before they felt composed enough that they could continue with the fence. Aaron wiped away a few tears from his eyes and wordlessly, they picked up another plank between them and got back to work.   
Nearly finished closing the gap in the fence, they stood back a moment, admiring their handiwork, shoving at each other lightly. They were still in a playful mood, just smirking at each other like idiots and joking about Adam’s next trek up to the castle on the hill that Aaron would most definitely be joining him for. 

“It’s good to see you like this,” Adam said out of the blue.

“Like what?” 

“Happy. I know you’ve had a rough time of it since–”

Aaron noted that he cut himself off before he actually said his name and he was grateful for that. “Don’t ruin it then,” he sighed, picking up the final plank of wood. 

A sudden thundering of hooves made the ground shake beneath his feet and threw him off balance, the wood flying from his hands and knocking Adam to the ground with him. Whipping his head around, he searched for the source of the disturbance and was greeting with a high pitched scream as an out of control horse came bursting into view, hurdling toward them. Aaron’s eyes widened and he was thrown emotionally this time as an unwelcome memory surged through his mind. 

“No, no, no, no,” he was muttering to himself as he watched the scene unfold in horror.

The horse tried to leap the fence but clipped its front hoof on the newly mended patch and stumbled, stamping down on all of their hard work for the day. He heard Adam cry out at that but he didn’t have time for too much concern as the rider was thrown from her saddle and landed directly on top of him. Out of the corner of his eye, Aaron saw a white horse in the distance racing toward them, calls of concern nearly drowned out by the braying of the injured horse in front of him. 

“Seriously!” Adam whined as he freed himself from the tangle of limbs on top of him and saw the state of the fence. He then looked over at the girl who had fallen on top of him and Aaron watched his eyes grow about ten sizes. “Oh! Oh God, Victor– Princess Victori– Your Grace!” He sputtered out as he scrambled about on the ground into a bowing position. Then, realizing she was still sitting stunned on the ground before him, he looked back up and reached out to help her to her feet. “A-are you a-alright?” He asked as she dusted off the skirts of her dress. “I’m so sorry!” 

“What have you got to be sorry for?” she said, smiling at him and Aaron thought his friend might faint at the sight. “Unless you put that rabbit in our path to spook my horse.” 

“N-no,” Adam stuttered. 

“Did fix that fence though,” Aaron interjected with a laugh, “otherwise your horse would have been able to ride right on through.” Adam shot him an annoyed look. He ignored him and went to the horse now, stroking her neck and murmuring softly in her ear to try and get her to calm down. Living with Paddy for a couple of years had given him a lot of experience with distressed horses and he learned he had a bit of a way with them.

Princess Victoria turned around toward him and the horse and came over, tears staining her face as she took in the state of her. The mare’s right front leg was cut up from the fence and she was holding it up as if she couldn’t put any weight on it. “Oh Molly!” Victoria cried, coming toward her, but the horse shied away into Aaron’s touch. 

“Shhh,” he soothed and made small circles on her forehead with his fingers. 

Molly relaxed and Aaron ran his hand down her front flank to take a hold of her injured leg to get a better look. As he did so, he felt himself being watched and when he glanced up, he saw the blue-green eyes of Prince Robert staring at him as he got down off of his own horse, a beautiful white stallion, and ran to see if his sister was okay. 

“Vic!” he shouted. “Vic, are you alright?” He glanced towards Aaron for a moment and then back to his sister, checking her face and body for anything wrong, smoothing out her ruffled hair all sticking out of her braids and then pulled her into a tight hug. 

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” she reassured him as she broke the embrace. “This one here’s a good cushion apparently,” she laughed, pointing at Adam, who blushed a deep red. 

“Well I guess a thank you is in order then,” Prince Robert said and Aaron was mesmerized by his voice for a moment. 

“I-it w-was n-no problem, really,” Adam eventually got out. 

Prince Robert nodded and then asked his sister, “What exactly happened back there?” 

“I don’t know, a rabbit ran out into the path and Molly got spooked. She’s a right scaredy cat, aren’t you Molly,” she said as she came over to stroke her fingers through Molly’s mane. “Is she going to be all right?”

“Nothing’s broken as far as I can tell,” Aaron said, finishing his assessment and rubbing a few more circles into the horse’s forehead to keep her calm.

“Where did you learn to do that? I thought you were a blacksmith.” he heard Prince Robert’s voice and it took him a moment to realize that he was talking to him. 

He looked up into those perfect eyes of his. “I-I um, my, well,” it was his turn to stutter. Pull yourself together, he scolded himself. He wasn’t like this...except he was, when it mattered. “U-used to live with the local horse doctor. P-picked up a few things,” he finally managed. 

“I see,” the prince said and Aaron could feel his eyes roaming across his body again and he couldn’t help but do the same thing. 

“So!” Princess Victoria said, breaking through their mutual trance. “You know who I am, but who are you, my farmer in shining armor?” 

Adam smiled at the absurdity of the epithet and with considerable effort, managed to get out his name, “Adam.” 

“Well, Adam, it’s nice to meet you!” she said cheerfully. “Thank you for breaking my fall so expertly. I’m sorry about your fence.” 

“That’s okay,” Adam replied, “I’m sure I’ll do a better job the second time round, without this one here to distract me.” Adam nodded his way briefly but kept his eyes trained on the princess, his smile beaming. 

“Maybe I could help you instead,” she said softly, “My brother’s always going on about how wonderful it is to work with your hands.” She grinned widely back at him and then clarified for everyone, “Andy...Prince Andrew, not Robert.” 

“Are they?” 

“Probably,” Aaron answered before realizing that it was Prince Robert that was speaking to him again. He looked over and noticed just how close he was standing to him, so close he could breathe in the scent of him, cracked leather and horse and the faintest trace of pineapple, which Aaron found odd, but pleasing. 

“I like working with my hands just fine,” the prince said, his voice husky and suggestive but he said it so casually that Aaron wasn’t sure what to make of it. “I never did get your name,” he added, brushing past the comment. 

“A-Aaron,” he faltered, unable to keep it together in this man’s presence. He felt a spark pass between them, like steel striking a flint. 

“Nice to see you again, Aaron,” he gave him a charming, half smile and Aaron felt his knees buckling. “Victoria, we should probably get back.”

“What about Molly?” she asked as she turned somewhat reluctantly away from Adam who was still smiling like a fool.   
Prince Robert looked his way again and Aaron stumbled over his words once more, “I-I c-can take her to Paddy’s for you, if you like.” 

“Oh, thank you!” she cried and came over to the horse to say goodbye for the moment. “You be good Molly. I’ll come see you soon.” 

“Thanks,” Prince Robert nodded at him, another hint of that half smile as he walked over to his own horse, placed a foot in the stirrup and swung up into the saddle. 

“Goodbye Adam,” Princess Victoria said sweetly as she took her brother’s hand and swung up behind him. 

They rode off together, back the way they had come, leaving Aaron and Adam standing there stunned with an injured horse and the same broken patch of fence they’d started the day with. Looking at each other in disbelief that that had all just actually happened, huge grins spread across their faces and once again they collapsed to the ground in fits of laughter.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robert asks Victoria for a favor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all of the kudos and comments so far. I've never actually really let people read my writing before, so this is an interesting experience. I hope you all continue to like this ridiculous story!

“Are you sure you're all right?” Robert asked again, his brow furrowing with concern as he watched his sister’s every move as they left his horse, Tommy, with the stable hands and made their way back toward the castle. 

“For the last time, Rob, I'm fine. Stop worrying. It was just a little spill!” She told him for the fifteenth time. 

“Just lucky someone was there to catch you,” he teased. “Sort of.”

Victoria blushed slightly and smiled. 

“So...about what we were discussing before you decided to shamelessly flirt with the farm boy?” He probed. 

She stopped and shot him a sharp look and then said, “You want me to put in a good word for you with Father.”

He followed her lead and stopped, squaring his shoulders to her as he towered above her. “Ideally, yes.”

“You know I don't want to take sides, Rob,” she protested. “And don't start on that whole you’re my blood thing again either. Andy’s my brother, just the same as you.”

“Not exactly the same,” he couldn't help but point out. 

“If we're getting technical,” she said, “then you're only my half brother anyway.”

“Still one half more than Andy.”

“Robert!”

“Fine, fine,” he relented. “I'm not asking you to take sides. I just want him to consider it. Seriously. This alliance really could do Emmerdale a lot of good. This is my home, Vic, and I do care about it. And I am the rightful heir.”

“You were,” she said, “until you left.”

“I was forced out!” He could feel the anger in him rising and he didn't want to take it out on his little sister. It wasn't fair on her but the situation itself wasn't fair. His hands balled into fists and he struggled to regain control of his breathing. 

“I know what happened,” Victoria spoke in a quiet voice. “With Max on that hunt in Wilson’s Forest.”

“It was a long time ago, Vic. I'd rather not rehash it,” he sighed. Max had been his friend, probably his only friend. He and Andy had been fighting, like they always were and Max had only been trying to stop them and get them to come to their senses. Robert had pushed the fight through the forest and taken them to the edge of the old quarry that had been used to build the castle as well as half the homes in the kingdom. When Andy had made one final lunge at him Max had put himself in the middle and the pair of them had ended up going over. They were both hanging on for their lives and Robert had saved Andy first. Clearly, he had made the wrong choice. 

“I know,” she sighed. “I just wanted you to know that I knew, and that I knew it was an accident.” 

“Thanks. So...will you? Talk to Father?”

“Fine,” she gave in. “If it will get you to stop going on about it.” 

“Thank you, really,” he told her and he meant it. It was everything to him that VIctoria was willing to give him a chance after all of this time. It made him feel like he still had some family left here. Wrapping his arm around her shoulders, he pulled her into a side hug, tugging her back toward the castle again. He looked down at her and smiled, “You can now return to mooning over the farm boy if you’d like.” 

“Oi! Quiet you! Don’t think I was too busy with Adam to notice the way you were staring at the horse whisperer!” She jabbed a finger playfully into his ribs. 

Robert swallowed hard. Was I that obvious? He needed to be more careful. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, Victoria. If you’ll excuse me, I need to go and find my bride to be,” he said as calmly as he could manage. Inside though, he could feel that fluttering in his heart again that just wouldn’t quit. Aaron, he thought about his name, he liked it. He was also sure that the staring had been quite mutual. Smiling a genuine smile that he hoped looked to be about Chrissie, he detached himself from his sister and made his way back to his rooms in the castle. 

He found his princess there waiting for him and he was almost disappointed. She loved him though and that was what he needed, not half mad fancies about blue-eyed blacksmiths. This was reality and he was proud of what he had accomplished while he’d been away and Chrissie was a part of that. Rising from her seat by the window, she came to him, a smile on her painted lips. She rested her hands on his shoulders and he leaned down and kissed her softly, inhaling the scent of the perfume she wore, lavender, a far cry from coal smoke and burnt honey. He pulled back at the sudden persistent memory and shook his head to rid his mind of it. 

“What’s wrong?” Chrissie asked, confusion contorting her face a bit. 

“Nothing,” he lied, “Just a bit tired is all.”

“Where have you been half the day?” she pressed. “My father was after you and I thought you and Lachlan could do some hunting. He’s keen to take Dog out.” 

Robert resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the mention of Lachlan or Dog. It was a hard fought battle against his irritation at the boy, but in the end sense and self preservation prevailed. “I went out for a ride with, Vic,” he said, honestly. “Wanted to get Tommy out of the stables to stretch his legs and catch up with my little sister.”

“Right,” Chrissie said, disappointment clear in her voice. She wasn’t used to having to share him with anyone and he suspected she was a bit jealous of his relationship with Victoria now. 

“I think Victoria is going to put in a good word for me with my father,” he added to appease her. 

Chrissie’s eyes lit up. “Robert, that’s wonderful!” she cried, kissing him again. “Father will be well pleased!” 

“Yes, and I aim to please your father,” he sighed. “My truest goal in life.” 

“Then you should aim to please me,” she said, pulling at the laces on his trousers. “My father only wants me to be happy.” 

“Does he now,” Robert grinned at her. 

That wasn’t exactly true and he knew it, but it made no matter. He needed this. Pulling away for a brief moment, he closed the heavy door to his room and then returned to her delicate hands as they stripped away his riding clothes. He fumbled at the fastenings on her complicated dress for a moment before he half tore it off of her in frustration. She didn’t seem to care as she stared up at him with lustful eyes. Throwing the dress to the floor, he picked her up and carried her over to the canopied bed, determined to lose himself in her and block out all stray thoughts of those blue eyes and that stubbled face. 

A knock came on the door hours later as he lay in bed with Chrissie nestled under his arm, her head resting on his bare chest. They had spent most of the afternoon either making love or dozing between rounds, daylight all but gone outside as the autumn evening darkness descended upon the kingdom earlier each day as the seasons rushed toward winter. He waited a moment to see if the person on the other side of the door would leave but when he heard the second knock, he untangled himself from Chrissie, pulled on his trousers and a loose tunic and padded over to answer. It was Lawrence. 

“No guesses needed to know what you’ve been getting up to with my daughter,” he sneered. 

Robert straightened himself up a bit, tucking in his shirt and smoothing down his ruffled blonde hair in attempt to look halfway presentable but he knew it was of little use. “Just trying to make your daughter happy,” he said pointedly. 

The foreign king scoffed at him and shook his head but then his expression turned serious. “Well maybe you’ll get a chance to make me happy,” Lawrence told him. “Which is what we both know really matters in all this.”

“Excuse me?” Robert gulped, unsure how to take his words. The innuendo was there if he wanted to take it that way and there were plenty of rumors about which brothels he frequented in Hotten. 

“I intercepted a servant coming to fetch you,” Lawrence elaborated and Robert was thankful it was just his mind in the gutter. “He said your presence was requested in the throne room, your father wishes to see you. I told him I would tell you myself.” 

Robert gulped again, but for an entirely different reason. Had Victoria talked to their father already? Had he come to some decision? All of his insecurities came flooding back in again after he was so confident with Chrissie earlier. Visions of his father sending him away from his home again stabbed at his mind till he almost couldn’t bare it. 

“Get yourself together Robert,” Lawrence told him like it was an order, expected to be followed. “And...change,” he added with distaste as he glanced down at his rumpled clothing. 

Robert nodded and started closing the door to get ready when he heard one final comment from Lawrence. “I wouldn’t keep him waiting, Robert!” the old King called out as he made his way back down the hall. Shit! He thought as he stripped off his wrinkled tunic and went over to the chest he had brought with him from Hotten, pulling out clothing left and right, trying to find something appropriate. 

“What are you doing?” Chrissie asked, waking up to his panic. 

“My father has asked to see me!” he said, exasperated already. “Get dressed!” He pulled out a white doublet, embroidered with blue flowers and threw it on over a clean shirt and then set about finding trousers to match it. 

They arrived at the doors to the throne room nearly half an hour later, sniping at one another about who took the longest to get ready. It was a ridiculous argument but Robert was on edge and couldn’t help himself. He pulled himself into some measure of composure though when he finally found himself standing in front of the ornately carved double doors, lush green lacquered vines twisting their way around the structure, the intricate design finished off with a spray of blue flowers, each petal a cut sapphire. Breathing in and out deeply twice, he nodded to the two door servants and they opened the way for him. 

He entered, Chrissie a step behind him. Lawrence was already there, looking slightly smug at his obvious nervousness. It was his own father though, as always, that drew his eye. King Jack sat, straight backed on his cushioned, gilded throne, looking clearer eyed than he had the last time he had seen him in his solar at breakfast yesterday. He looked stronger too and just as intimidating as he had in his youth. Robert felt his own spine straighten as he walked in, keeping eye contact with him, hardly noticing Diane sat on a smaller throne to his left and Andy and Katie stood to his right. He made a formal bow when he reached him, trying to remain as respectful as possible, a constant struggle for him. Standing up straight again, he waited to be spoken to. The longer he kept his mouth shut, the better things would go he suspected. 

“Robert,” his father said sternly and glanced once at Diane and then over to where Robert now saw Victoria standing off to the side next to their stepmother. She gave him an encouraging grin and he allowed himself to relax slightly. “Your sister has been in my ear all afternoon to consider your offer.” 

“I see where your loyalties lie,” Andy grumbled and Robert felt a surge of pride that someone had actually chosen him over Andy. There had to be first time for everything, even though she had said she wasn’t taking sides. 

“Quiet, Andy,” his father urged with a quiet sort of gravity. “She is still loyal to you both in any case.” 

All of Robert’s confidence fell away again. What was he on about?

His father continued, “She has tried to convince me that maybe you have changed in the past nine years, grown up a bit perhaps, and while I doubt that, you’re not wrong in saying that an alliance with Hotten would do us some good.”

Robert caught the grin on Lawrence’s face and felt Chrissie’s hand on his arm in encouragement. 

“Father,” Andy started again but King Jack ignored him. 

“You’ll get your shot, Robert, but I agree with Victoria in that this should be as fair as possible.”

“That’s all I want,” Robert said finally, finding his voice. “I just want things to be fair.” 

“Good,” his father told him and it was absurd but he smiled at that. This was the first time in a decade his father had some kind of pride in him, however minimal it was. “There is to be a tourney,” he went on, “You will face off in seven challenges and whoever wins, I will name my heir.” 

“Father!” Andy shouted suddenly and Robert felt almost giddy that the easy ride was being taken away from his brother. Perhaps it was time he knocked him down off of his high horse, literally. 

“Your Grace!” Katie protested along with her husband. “This is hardly what I would call fair!”

“I accept!” Robert interjected. 

“Good,” his father nodded at him. 

Robert beamed, filtering out the continued protesting of his brother and his wife. The skin of his pineapple of a life was broken, now he just had to dig out the good parts and make something of them.


	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cain and Aaron have a visitor at the shop

Aaron kicked at a bit of hay with his boot, moving it away from the mare’s leg so he could lean down and get a better look. The cuts on Molly’s leg were already starting to heal. He smiled to himself as he stood back up, running his fingers through the thick brown hair of her mane. As sorry as he was that the horse had gotten hurt in the process, he was rather thankful for the whole ordeal. Pineapple? He chuckled to himself and wondered how that particular scent had come to cling to the prince. 

“She’s so calm in your presence,” he heard Paddy’s voice and looked over his shoulder to see the bald, bespectacled man enter the stables. “You sure you don’t want to come back and work here?”

“Quite happy where I am, thanks,” he laughed lightly.

“Yeah, you are...” Paddy sighed, looking at him with a ridiculous grin on his face. “...happy I mean...well you look-”

“Pff! You and all?” Aaron put a stop to the awkward rambling.

“What?” Paddy’s eyebrows shot up and there was a fear in his eyes now like he had offended him. 

“No,” Aaron reassured him. “It just Adam said the same thing yesterday.” 

Paddy sighed with relief. “Well I’m really pleased for you Aaron. You deserve it. And it’s a good look on you, happy I mean.” 

“Alright Paddy,” Aaron laughed, making a joke out of the soppy nature of the statement. “Anyway, I’m off to work. I just wanted to check on her.” 

“Right,” Paddy replied. “Drink in the tavern later?” 

“Sure,” Aaron gave him a nod and headed out into the crisp autumn air. 

The lower town was bustling with activity as he passed through the market on the way to the shop. Several of the townsfolk smiled and waved at him and he did his best to return the gestures though at times he wanted to just grunt and shrink away from them the way he used to. He had come a long way in the past several months though and Adam and Paddy weren't wrong when they said he looked happy. He knew he wasn't quite there yet but he at least thought now that maybe he could get there. 

“Morning Aaron,” Bob said as he made his way up to the familiar food stall. He had skipped out on breakfast earlier, which he knew made his mother worry, to go and check on Molly. “What can I get for you?”

Aaron scanned the stall and almost burst out laughing when he saw it, chunks of pineapple strung together on a skewer. He bit at his lip to keep the smile from spreading across his face. Am I ever going to be able to look at a pineapple the same way again, he wondered, as he felt a blush creeping into his cheeks that he hoped no one noticed. He nodded at the skewer and took a coin from his trouser pocket to pay for it. 

“I saw him yesterday,” he heard Bob's daughter, Carly, saying to Bob's wife, Brenda, as she leaned over the counter at the other end of the stall. “Riding up to the castle with the princess on the back of his horse.”

Aaron instantly knew who they were talking about and felt himself blush again as he took the skewer that Bob offered him, sinking his teeth into the juicy fruit. 

“Have you seen him yet, Aaron?” Brenda asked him suddenly when she noticed him standing there. “Prince Robert, I mean.”

Aaron just nodded, hardly able to hear them over the sound of his heart pounding in his ears. It was like he had just been caught out though there was no way they knew what he was thinking. Supple leather underneath his fingers as he slid his hands down his front, his fingers getting tangled up in the lacing as he hurried to unburden him and then skin on skin. He wondered absently if the freckles that dotted his face made an appearance elsewhere on his body. God what was wrong with him? He shook his head and bit down on another chunk of fruit, the sweet flavor exploding in his mouth. 

“He's gorgeous isn't he?” He faintly heard Carly saying and then there was a pause and he looked up and realized they were still talking to him. 

His face must have looked vaguely pained because all of a sudden Brenda was half heartedly apologizing, “Sorry Aaron, I know it hasn't been that long since…” Until she wasn't anymore, “but you have to admit…”

Flashes of disappointed eyes, thundering hooves, a loud thud and a crack reverberated through his body making him shudder. 

“Alright, leave the lad alone,” he heard Bob say. 

Aaron nodded at the man, grateful, and waved a quick goodbye to all three of them, continuing to push his way through the busy market. Bob had been close with...he still couldn't really say his name...close with his mother so he was well aware of all Aaron had been through. It worried him a bit that the even the pause where people would have said his name could still affect him like this. He definitely wasn't happy yet, but he hoped he would get there eventually. Focusing on the remaining pieces of pineapple on his skewer instead, he was dimly aware of the fact that getting so hung up on something he could never have was probably not a good idea but he couldn't help himself. He always was a glutton for punishment. 

There was a cluster of folk up ahead surrounding David’s stall that was becoming dangerously close to a gathering crowd. He was certainly not as into town gossip as Adam was, but when he saw the green and silver livery of one of the King’s guards, he couldn’t help himself but inch closer to the fray. The guard was cautioning people to move back but he saw Pearl pushing her way through anyway, determined to get a closer look at the notice that the guard was pinning up. Aaron craned his neck, trying to see as well, feeling ridiculous for doing so. 

“There’s to be a tourney!” he heard Pearl shout, her excitement brimming like froth on a mug of ale, spilling over the rim. “Oh how thrilling!” 

A low hum began to echo through the crowd as the people whispered the details of the tourney. His eyes traced the path of the green cloaked guard as he wriggled his way out of the press of bodies, while he waited for the news to reach him. He found his booted foot tapping against the dirt road with impatience. A tourney, he thought, it had been a long time since he had been to one of those and that, he was fine with. 

“Which one of ‘em do you think will win?” He heard Tracy say, now beside him. 

“What’s going on?” He blurted out before he could stop himself. 

“The King is holding a tourney to decide which of his sons will be his heir!” She said like it was old news now. “Now that Prince Robert has returned, I suppose.”

“Right,” he said and backed up a few paces to separate himself from the crowd. Somehow he hadn't considered that he was fantasizing about the future king of Emmerdale. He needed to get his head sorted fast and work was the best place for that. 

“Or not,” he muttered under his breath as he walked into the steaming heat of the blacksmith shop to find Prince Robert standing there half arguing with Cain. 

“Not sure we should be doing any favors for the likes of you, Robert,” Cain scoffed. 

Aaron winced at hearing his uncle address the prince so informally. What was he playing at? No one had noticed his arrival and he took a moment to take it all in, Prince Robert in a crisp burgundy doublet, looking as regal as ever. His blonde hair was windswept from his ride, a few pieces falling effortlessly across his forehead. His blue green eyes burned with fire as he squared his shoulders to Cain, his few extra inches making him look intimidating. 

“Prince Robert,” he corrected, his voice hard and unyielding, the bone of his clenched jaw sharp as a knife.

“Are you? Because last I heard, the King had exiled you,” Cain shot back. Aaron knew that his new wife, Adam’s mother Moira, had a soft spot for Prince Andrew, as he had given them the contract to supply the castle with their crop. Still, it was no reason not to treat the other brother with respect. 

“And now he's given me another chance, because he knows what's good for him. And so should you,” the prince pointed out, gesturing beside him. For the first time, Aaron saw her, the woman on the prince’s arm. He clenched his fists at the sight of her, all haughty confidence like she was too good to be even standing in their shop where her gown might get dirty. Instantly, he hated her, which of course he knew was irrational, but he couldn't help it. 

“What's all this then?” He asked, again unable to control himself. This was becoming a bad habit. “Your Grace,” he added, remembering his courtesies. 

All three of them turned to look at him then. Cain looked annoyed that he was late, the woman looked irritated at his mere existence and then there was the prince. All of the hard lines of his face and body softened all at once as he saw him walk into the shop properly. The fire in his eyes burned out, replaced by some new, unreadable emotion. They locked gazes the way they had at the castle and the world seemed to stop for just a moment. 

“I-” the prince started and when Aaron realized that the prince was flustered and that he seemed to be the one causing the flustering, he bit at his lip to suppress a smirk. Prince Robert recovered quickly, clenching his jaw again in a way that drew Aaron’s eye to the way the muscles and bones moved beneath his skin. “I came to commission new armor for the tourney my father is holding, but your-”

He paused, waiting for him to fill in the blank. “Uncle,” Aaron offered. 

“But your uncle is refusing my patronage,” he finished. 

Aaron was surprised by that. He knew that his uncle would do anything for his wife, but he also knew that he was an opportunist. The idea that he would turn down money and an chance at prestige was almost unheard of. Must be going soft, Aaron thought. Then he had a different thought. This could be his opportunity instead. He had been looking for a way to prove himself and his talents. 

“I’ll do it,” he blurted out. 

“You what?” Cain exclaimed, his eyebrows rising high on his forehead. 

“I’ll make the armor,” he repeated, calmer this time. 

“You?” The woman said, her voice dripping with disdain. 

“And why not...your Grace?” he added the title just in case, not entirely sure who she was. 

“Why not?” Prince Robert agreed, glancing side-eyed at Cain, like he was getting one over on him. “That’s settled then. I’ll be in tomorrow to speak with you about the details, Aaron. I have some ideas.” He gave him a nod and one of those half smiles that made him weak at the knees. 

“Fine,” Cain relented, “but you’ll be doing this on your own time.” 

That wasn’t exactly fair, but Aaron wasn’t going to argue now. He knew he’d get him to come around later. “That’s fine,” he submitted. 

The woman huffed indignantly and tugged at the sleeve of the prince’s doublet. “Can we go now, Robert,” she urged. “It’s clear we’re not wanted here.” 

She locked her arm in his and began to pull him toward the door. Aaron made room for them to pass and he and Prince Robert locked eyes again, small smiles playing on both of their lips. He wasn’t quite sure where any of this was going but he knew he was looking forward to the prince returning the following day. When they reached the door, the prince’s feet halted. He unlocked his arm from the woman’s spoke quietly to her.

“I’ll be just a moment,” he said and then turned back toward Aaron. 

Aaron’s heart was pounding again, so loud he was sure that everyone else could hear it. The prince walked back toward him and reached out a hand, grabbing hold of his shoulder. He forgot to breathe all of a sudden, glancing down at those long pale fingers, tangled in the black fabric of his tunic and cloak. Feeling faint, he remembered that air was necessary and sucked some into his lungs greedily, hoping the moment would pass unnoticed. The prince grinned at him and he was sure it hadn’t. 

“You know,” he said, his voice soft, dipping his head down slightly to meet his gaze again, “I’ll need a squire as well. You’re already a blacksmith and a horse doctor, have any experience being a squire too?”

Don’t ruin the moment, Aaron urged his damaged mind. He focused instead on the blue green pools in front of him. “Yes,” he managed to get out. 

“Perfect,” Prince Robert replied. “Tomorrow then.” 

“Tomorrow,” Aaron agreed, barely breathing once more. 

Another flash of that crooked half smile and he was out the door. 

“Tomorrow,” Aaron repeated to himself, sucking air desperately into his lungs again.


	6. Chapter Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robert and Aaron discuss plans for Robert's armor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all of your encouragement with this. Little late getting this up but it's a slightly longer chapter because again...Robert has lots of feelings and you get awkward Aaron which is always fun!

“You asked him to be your squire?” Chrissie’s shrill voice made him physically cringe as he pulled a brush through Tommy’s silky mane. “I thought we agreed that Lachlan-”

“Lachlan is fourteen,” he argued as if that made much difference. Loads of lads were squires at fourteen. He just had no desire to put up with Lachlan for anymore time than was strictly necessary, no matter how much he wanted to please the boy’s mother. “Besides, it's hardly like he has any experience.” That part was mostly true, at least when it came to tourneys. 

“And this...blacksmith...he has experience, does he?” Chrissie pressed the words against him like daggers into his flesh.

He took a step back and began to brush Tommy’s flank. “Yes,” he told her and hoped he wasn't lying. “Besides, he's more Andy’s size, isn't he? I could train with him perhaps,” he suggested, forming new ideas on the spot. “I could use some practice, if I'm being honest.”

Chrissie’s features softened slightly and the rigid anger of her shoulders dropped. She knew how much he wanted to win this and her future depended on it as well. She made to come toward him, reaching out a hand, though he wasn't quite ready for her touch, but they were interrupted by a mocking laughter. He glanced toward the door of the stables and saw Katie coming in, leading a robust brown destrier that Robert had never seen before. 

“And what are you laughing at?” he bit at her. “Your bleak future once I’m king.” 

“No,” she snorted. “Yours, once Andy is king. If you’re needing to train with the local blacksmith, then clearly, Andy will defeat you easily.” 

Robert’s cheeks burned with shame and frustration that she had overheard that. He did need some practice, but it’s not like he was completely useless. When he had been exiled from Emmerdale, all he had to rely on were his skills. He had gotten himself a position as a knight in King Lawrence’s retinue and had worked his way up until he had gained the man’s confidence. Then, and only then, did he let him know exactly who he was and a plan began to form. Of course then Chrissie had taken notice of him finally too and Lawrence was far less receptive to the relationship than he had hoped he would be, even though he understood an alliance through marriage was necessary. Still, it had been a while since he had flexed those muscles, especially when it came to tourney fighting. Mostly, though, he just wanted an excuse to get to know the man with the piercing blue eyes. 

“New horse?” he forced the conversation in a new direction. 

“For Andy, yes,” Katie replied with a slight smile. “Your father just bought him this morning.” 

Robert’s eyes widened immediately. “He what?” 

“Have a good day, Robert!” Katie said cheerfully and led the horse further into the stables to his new stall. 

Tommy sensed his anger and bucked underneath the brush in his hand. “Sorry boy,” he soothed the horse, trying to keep his fury in check, but he knew it was radiating off of him. “I’m sorry, Chrissie, I have to go see my father,” he seethed. 

“We’ll talk more after,” she said, her eyes hopeful. 

“After, I need to go see Aaron about the armor,” he told her and he could see her frustration written all over her face. “I’ll make it up to you, yeah?” 

“You’d better,” she said with a pout. 

He lay the brush down on the ledge of the stall and placed his large hands on her narrow shoulders. “I’m sorry, Chrissie, after I defeat Andy in this tourney, things will settle down.” 

Another chuckle from Katie reached his ears as he leaned down to kiss Chrissie goodbye. His body tensed but he did not rise to the challenge. It was his father his anger was directed towards now anyway. 

The sun was out and bright already today, warming the autumn air to an uncharacteristic temperature. It seemed too beautiful of a day for him to be this upset, but here he was. He threw his cloak off his shoulders so it was streaming behind him in the light breeze as he stormed through the castle gate, brushing past a pair of confused guards. Taking to the servants quarters as that route were nearer to him at the moment, he stomped through the narrow halls, the closeness of the stone walls pressing in on him did nothing to calm his raging mood. He took the stairs two and three at a time, his long legs covering the distance easily, and came out just down the hall from his father’s solar. The heavy falls of his booted feet were muted by the rich carpets running across the floor but even still they echoed. 

Nearly punching the door open, not even considering knocking, he burst into the room to find his father once again hunched over the breakfast table, taking a late meal. Diane sat beside him and a few servants milled about but otherwise they were alone. He was pleased that Victoria and Andy were absent. His father looked up at him dismissively as he took in his likely red face and clenched jaw. 

“What is it Robert?” he asked like he wasn’t standing there out of breath and fuming. 

“You bought Andy a new horse!” Robert shouted at him as if it made a difference. 

“He needed one,” his father said calmly.

“And here I thought you wanted this to be a fair fight,” Robert raged on, “and you’re already playing favorites!”

His father huffed out a single breath and turned back to pushing food around on his plate. Robert just stared at him in disbelief. It was like he didn’t even care that he was once again choosing Andy over him, like it was the most natural thing in the world. Though, of course, it was. It always had been. All of a sudden he was nineteen again. He felt his hands clench into fists, his nails digging into the flesh of his palm. Diane looked over at him then, when she noticed he wasn’t going to go anywhere. 

“Pet,” she said, placating him with platitudes, “Andy’s horse passed away about a week before you came back. Poor lad was devastated. Your father’s just been meaning to get him a new horse for a while now. Don’t take it as a slight. It’s not meant to be one.” 

Robert just laughed, a harsh, bitter laugh and threw up his hands. “Fine,” he muttered ungratefully and stormed back out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him. He paused a moment outside, waiting for the echo of his anger to subside and listened. 

“He’s never going to grow up, is he?” he heard his father say. 

“I have,” he mumbled to himself, “And I’ll prove it to you.” 

He marched himself back out to the stables and saddled Tommy, hoping that his trip to the blacksmith shop would improve his mood. Thinking about Andy’s new horse, he patted Tommy’s neck as he rode, knowing that his trusty horse would get him through even the toughest challenges. He always had. 

The lower town was busy as usual, though he avoided the worst of it by steering clear of the market, opting for the back roads instead. Townsfolk waved at him as he passed by their homes and he smiled back at them, turning on his charm. This was easy, this mask he wore for them. He liked being the regal prince that made the women swoon, that men wanted to be. He just wished that it could be like that for him with his family too. He felt so alienated from them being back and he wanted nothing more than to be close with them, to fit the way he once did. It had been a long time since then though and if he were truly honest with himself, he never really fit. 

For a time though, when his mother was still alive and it was just him and Vic and their parents, life was good. Even in the beginning with Andy, things were still okay. It wasn’t until his father made it official that he was recognizing Andy as his son that things started to go wrong. All of a sudden it was like he was pushed out of his own family. Andy became the favorite son, he and his father forming an unbreakable bond. And Robert had tried to break it, break in and find a place for himself, but he never could. His mother, Sarah, had been his only salvation, the only one who understood him, but she had been taken from him far too early. 

He had Chrissie now and he wanted that to work, needed it to. Of course there was Lawrence too contend with but he hoped that once he was named the heir, once he was guaranteed to be the future king, that Lawrence would accept him again. Then he could properly build a future with Chrissie, maybe make an heir of his own with her. There was Lachlan to deal with, but the boy was a small price to put up with for a family that was his, a family where he could belong. He wanted nothing more than that. 

The blacksmith shop came upon him quickly, he was so lost in his thoughts. Pulling up on Tommy's reins, he came to an abrupt stop, kicking up dust on the dirt road. He swung down from the saddle and tied Tommy's reins to a post outside the shop. The heat seeping out of the shop in suffocating waves, which was pleasing yesterday when there was a chill in the air, seemed almost unbearable today. The heat was only worsened by the fact that he was melting in his riding leathers. Still, anything had to be better than the equally suffocating walls of the castle, so he pushed his way in through the front door. 

“Robert,” Cain said when he saw him, barely looking up from his work. 

“Cain,” he replied in the same irritated tone. That man was hardly going to lift his spirits. He had no patience for anyone taking Andy’s side today. Instead, he turned to Aaron, standing over an anvil, a hammer in his hand and the sleeves of his tunic pushed up past his elbow, showing off his muscular arms. For a moment he just stood there, watching the vein in his upper arm pulsate with the strain of the holding the hammer up where he had seemingly frozen to stare back at him. He chewed at his bottom lip, which was driving Robert a bit crazy. 

“Are you two going to get on with it or just stare at each other all day?” Cain scoffed.

Suddenly, it seemed Aaron was capable of movement again as he let the hammer fall with a loud clang and cleared his throat. “Your Grace,” he half choked out. 

Robert shook himself out of his own stupor and smiled at him. “Just call me Robert,” he told him. 

Aaron just nodded, wiping a bit of sweat from his forehead. He cleared his throat a second time. “So,” his voice was hoarse, as if he had inhaled too much smoke, “about this armor?” 

Robert glanced over at Cain to see him glaring at them both. He had no desire to endure that for much longer. “Is there somewhere we can go to talk?” he asked. 

“I don’t know,” Aaron mumbled, “The work table over there?” 

Robert closed the gap between them a bit and whispered between the banging of Cain’s hammer, “Not with him staring daggers at me.” 

“I’ll sort it,” Aaron growled, blushing. 

“Don’t worry about it,” Robert said. “How about we go somewhere else? There’s still that tavern up the road, yeah?”

Aaron scrunched up his face and bit his lip again. He was really going to have to stop doing that. “Yeah…” he started, “My mum owns it.” 

“Right,” Robert agreed. “The Dingles have certainly gone up in the world since I left.” 

“Afraid so,” Aaron laughed lightly and it was one of the most beautiful sounds Robert thought he had ever heard. Of course it was mostly ruined by the continuing racket coming from Cain’s hammer but he was determined to make it happen again. 

Robert nodded his head toward the door and walked out, hoping Aaron would follow him. He was rewarded with the scuffing of leather boots across the floor. “So,” he tipped his head toward Tommy, “how about we take a ride somewhere instead?” He looked around and frowned. “You have a horse?”

Aaron’s face went white for a moment and his broad shoulders tensed. 

“Have I said something wrong?” 

Aaron recovered slightly, color returning to his face anyway. “No...no it’s just...I don’t ride.” 

“But I’ve seen you with horses!” Robert exclaimed, confused. “You’re a natural with them.” 

“Yeah, I’m better now,” he said sadly. “I can be around them again, which is good, because I do love them, but…” 

“But what?”

“I just haven’t been on a horse since...since he died.” 

“Who?” Robert blurted out before he could remember tact. It was out there now, no taking it back. 

“J-jackson,” Aaron forced the name out, glancing up at him to gauge his reaction. He didn’t know what he was supposed to think yet and Aaron seemed to get that so he continued. “He and I were...you know…” He made a motion with his hands that Robert didn’t quite understand.

“You were what?”

“You know,” he made the gesture one more time before he sighed, resigned. “Together.” 

“Oh,” was all Robert could manage. He was sorry for his loss, but he couldn’t help but be excited that he wasn’t reading signals all wrong. 

Aaron’s body language changed again, morphing from sad to defensive, his shoulders rolling forward to protect himself. “You have a problem with that?” 

Robert gave him another smile, “Not at all.” He paused, thinking, he really did want to get out of here for a bit but walking would take forever. “So, you’re completely done with riding, are you?”

Biting his lip again, he looked up at him shyly, his defensive pose now abandoned. “Don’t have a horse, do I?” he said. 

Smirking, Robert went out on a limb. He walked over to Tommy, untied him from the post and swung up into the saddle. Inching him closer to Aaron, he reached out a hand, “You coming or what?” 

His eyes widened and he hesitated for a moment or two, seemingly debating with himself about whether this was the best idea or not. Robert knew it definitely wasn’t, but he found he didn’t really care, not today. Aaron placed his hand in his and squeezed tight and Robert felt a tingling all the way up his arm to the shoulder at their touch. He moved his foot from the stirrup, giving Aaron access and watched the other man put his boot in and swing up behind him. He grabbed onto Robert’s waist to steady himself and possibly to calm himself down. Robert wasn’t sure, but he welcomed it, his arms feeling good wrapped around him. 

“You alright?” he asked. 

“Fine.” 

“Hold on tight then,” Robert told him, smiling to himself as Aaron tightened his grip around his midsection, his front molding itself to his back. 

Kicking lightly at Tommy’s flank, he urged the the white horse forward into a light canter as he wound his way back through the back roads and out into the farmland surrounding the kingdom. When they reached the open land, he let Tommy stretch his legs, sending him into a gallop. Behind him, he felt Aaron tense a little when they picked up speed, but eventually he relaxed back into him. It didn’t take them long before he found the place he was looking for, an old ramshackle farmhouse that Old Man Wylie used to own, where he and Andy used to play as kids before it all went to hell. He brought Tommy to a halt and helped Aaron down. 

“What is this place?” Aaron asked as they walked through the front door, the decrepit thing nearly falling off of the hinges. 

“I used to come here when I was younger,” he told him, “though it wasn’t quite as derelict as it is now. Been a few years though.”

He led him through the house and out the back where they found and old wooden table, as scarred as the one in his room at the castle, and sat down. Comfortable, he gestured at the empty seat across from him and Aaron took the hint and sat down as well. There was silence for a moment as neither of them knew where to start, just more staring. Cain wasn’t completely off base. 

“So…” Aaron said eventually, “about the armor.”

“Yes, the armor.”

“You said you had ideas?”

Robert laughed to himself and pulled out a folded piece of parchment that he had spent the night scribbling on, much to Chrissie’s dismay. “Now, don’t laugh,” he started, but then thought, no please do laugh. He unfolded the paper and placed it in front of Aaron. “Now, I’m not an artist or anything. No one’s going to be commissioning me for any paintings to line their walls with, but...well...you see…” He trailed off and he could see Aaron studying the sketch with a quizzical eye. Robert waited, watching him, and then a huge grin spread across his face and he let out a full laugh this time. Robert couldn’t help but smile back. 

“What is it with you and pineapples?” he asked, wiping away a tear he was laughing so hard now. 

“What?” Robert asked, incredulous, wondering why he thought he had some sort of obsession with the frustrating fruit. He was beginning to, that was clear, but Aaron couldn’t possibly know that. 

Aaron bit his lip again and Robert wanted nothing more than to replace his teeth with his own. “I-I...well.” Neither one of them had a way with words around each other it seemed. “I may have smelled the faintest hint of pineapple on you the other day,” he threw the words out there before he lost his nerve. 

Robert couldn’t help himself, his smile stretching as far as it would go. “You were…” he trailed off again. 

“Nevermind,” Aaron brushed the admission aside. “So...you really want me to make you pineapple armor? Is this a joke?” 

“It’s a metaphor,” Robert laughed.


	7. Chapter Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aaron begins work on Robert's armor and they start training together for the tourney.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A nice long chapter today. There was just so much to include. That and I had to get in some of my research since I spent a lot of time watching youtube videos of people making armor. Learned a lot though. 
> 
> In any case, hope you enjoy! Thanks to everyone continuing to read this and leaving comments. Means a lot!

Aaron busied himself in the back room of the tavern, listening to the sounds of his mother setting up for the day ahead. His heart was racing just a little and if you looked closely, there was a slight tremor in his hand and a twitch in his eye. Sitting down at the little table in their kitchen, he forced himself to eat a heel of black bread, washing it down with ale, even though he was hardly hungry. His stomach had been restless all morning, since yesterday really. It had gone from fluttering nerves during the first part of his meeting with Robert, to a sickening dread that he just couldn’t shake. 

His mother drifted into the room, arms full of a tray of glasses that needed washing. She set it down on the table next to him and smiled a tired smile. “Spoke to Cain before,” she said, stifling a yawn. She worked too hard, running this place on her own. “You can work on the prince’s armor during your regular hours.”

“Yeah, he said,” Aaron replied, covering a yawn of his own with the back of his hand. He hadn't slept well. 

“You spoke to him?” He didn't know why she sounded so surprised. 

“Last night, just after you finished nagging him to death about it,” he allowed himself a small chuckle at the memory. 

“Right,” she sighed, absently picking up a glass and turning it over in her hands. She was watching him as he finished the last crumbs of his bread. “Aaron, love, are you alright?”

“Fine,” he mumbled and pushed the chair back from the table to stand up. He took his own mug to the wash basin and soaped it up, trying to avoid her probing gaze. 

“Aaron,” she said and this time it wasn't a question. It was a demand. A ‘please just tell me what's wrong before it destroys you.’ 

He sighed and set the mug aside to dry. There were times that he loved the newfound closeness he had with his mother now. They had come such a long way since he had first arrived in Emmerdale. It did sometimes have serious disadvantages though. She was starting to be able to read him too well. 

“Robert...the prince,” he corrected himself, not ready to show his growing familiarity with the man to his mother just yet. “He asked me to train with him for the tourney...and to be his squire.”

The question about being his squire had come up in the shop just before he had gone the day he came to ask about the armor. Aaron hadn't know how to react. Just hearing the word squire would normally have set him off, but it had been Robert who was saying it so he had forced out the confirmation that yes, he did have experience being a squire. That experience, though, was laden with the painful memories of his tragic past. He was Gordon’s squire once and those were times that he'd rather not remember.

The idea of training with Robert had been brought up yesterday while he had been taking his measurements, sparks flying like a hammer clanging against hot steel. He had hardly been in a position to refuse when he had his hands around his waist for the second time that day. Instead, he had just looked up and him and smiled, something he was doing more and more of around the prince, and then Robert had just started rattling off a training schedule for them, starting today in the afternoon. He was already in over his head. 

Glancing over at his mother again, he found her staring at him again, worry lines creasing her forehead. “And are you alright with that?” She asked cautiously. 

“No,” he blurted out, and then, “I don't know,” and then, “maybe?”

She stared at him harder, “Aaron-”

“I want to.”

“Oh love,” she said gently. 

“I have to get over it sometime,” he sighed, pushing down the nausea that threatened to bring the black bread back up.

“You don't ever have to ‘get over it’,” she told him. “What your father did-”

“Don't call him that,” Aaron cut her off too harshly. 

None of this was her fault, but if they ever had to mention him, it was always just Gordon. ‘Father’ implied he still had any right to the title, which he didn't. Not after what he had done. When the truth had all come out years ago when he had been coming to terms with how he felt for Jackson, his mother had sent out his uncle to find him but he never could track him down. That was what they told him anyway, he had his suspicions otherwise and truthfully, he hoped Cain had found him. He knew what he was capable of to protect his family. 

“I already told him I'd do it anyway,” he admitted. “And he is the prince.”

“A prince,” she gave him a cheeky smile. “And just because he thinks he's Prince Charming and the world should bow at his feet, doesn't mean you have to do something that makes you uncomfortable.”

“Yeah, I know. I just…” He started, I do want to do it.” The thought of not spending all of those extra hours with Robert was enough to convince him of that. He'd just have to push past the memories. 

“Well, look at this way, if you change your mind and don't train with him, love, Prince Andrew will probably beat him anyway and you won't have to worry about the consequences of him having any power.”

He gave her a sarcastic smirk. “These chats we have, Mother, are always so helpful.”

“Just doing my bit, son,” she clasped his shoulder reassuringly. 

“Right,” he said, “I have to get off to work. Armor to make and all.”

He used the walk through town to calm himself down, the warmth of yesterday carrying over so much that halfway there, he had to untie his cloak and carry it over his arm. Desperately, he hoped that he'd be able to handle all that Robert was asking of him because he hated the thought of disappointing him. They had only met a few times, but already Aaron knew he was in trouble. He had gone through hell when he had tried to kiss Adam once early on in their friendship. They were fine now but he didn't know if he could handle that kind of rejection again. He wasn't an idiot, he knew about the princess, Christine, but he also knew it wasn't all one sided. Robert had eyed him up more than once and he knew it, he'd felt his beautiful blue-green eyes roaming over his body. 

“You're late, Sunshine,” Cain said as he walked into the shop and tossed his cloak aside, pushing up his sleeves. There was a burn on his left forearm that wasn't just a hazard of his work. 

“Sorry, Cain,” he muttered and looked up at him, biting his lip, “and I have to leave a bit early too. The prince has asked me to train with him for the tourney as well.”

“You and tourneys?” Cain’s voice softened as much as he was capable. 

“I know, I know. Already talked it out with Mum, and I'm sure she’ll send Paddy round later to check up on me.”

“Right, best get to work then if you're going to be dealing with all of these distractions.”

Aaron nodded, thankful he didn't push it any further. Cain wasn't really one for talking about people's feelings anyway, but he knew that he would be there if he ever needed him. His family was like that; they always looked out for one another. 

Pulling out the sketches he'd made the day before along with Robert’s scribblings, he laid them out on work table. He placed the measurements he needed next to those and then rolled out a larger sheet of parchment to begin to make a pattern. Hunched over the table, a piece of charcoal in hand, he could feel Cain watching him and the pressure settling in heavy on his shoulders. He had never made a complete suit of armor on his own, but he had helped Cain with enough that he knew what he was doing. 

With all of the pattern pieces drawn and cut out, he laid them over a piece of hammered out wrought iron that he had done the day before in preparation. That was the his only task when he had first arrived in town. Cain hadn’t trusted him with anything at first. It was still the task he was given if Cain were upset with him or in a mood. It was dull work. 

Around dinner time, he was in the middle of cutting out the shape of one of the pauldrons, imagining the finished product when he had hammered and chiseled in all of the details and it resembled the scaled skin of a pineapple. He had a hammer in one hand and a hot chisel in the other standing over a piece of iron, hot from the forge when Paddy walked into the shop. Right on schedule, he laughed ruefully to himself. He knew his mother would send him around. The horse doctor waited patiently by the door, shifting back and forth on his feet as Cain eyed him suspiciously from his own work station. Aaron sighed and knew if he didn’t at least talk to him for a moment that he wouldn’t leave, so he finished his task and tempered the iron in a basin of water to cool it. He stripped off his gloves and shooed Paddy out of the shop, following close behind. 

“I thought maybe we could pop into the Tavern for some lunch,” Paddy said with his usual nervous tone. 

Aaron wiped his sweaty hands on his trousers and sighed. “I’m fine Paddy, really,” he tried to reassure him. “Besides, I really should keep working. I have a lot to get done before I meet Robert.”

“It’s Robert now is it?” Paddy teased him, punching him lightly on the shoulder. 

“The prince, I mean, Prince Robert,” Aaron stumbled over the words, feeling the heat in his cheeks and knowing they were red. “Oh forget it.” 

“Do you fancy him or something?” Paddy said with a grin. 

“No!” Aaron said too quickly. 

Paddy’s smile grew wider. “You fancy Robert, you fancy Robert,” he sang, swaying him back and forth with his hands on his shoulders. 

“Real mature, Patrick,” he punched him back, just a little harder. “I going back to work now.” 

“You still have to eat, Aaron!” Paddy called after him as he turned to go back into the shop. 

“And I’ll get something later on,” he told him. 

Two hours later, he had the breast plate, back plate, right and left pauldrons and the gorget all cut out. It was a good enough start for the day but he had a long way to go and only a fortnight to finish it. As he packed up what he needed for his training session with Robert, he caught Cain standing over his work table, smirking at the sketches. 

“Is he serious?” Cain asked him. 

“Apparently it’s a metaphor,” he laughed. He hadn’t asked Robert to explain any further then, but perhaps if he grew bolder, he would get it out of him. “Well I’m off. If you see my mum or Paddy later, tell ‘em I’m fine, will ya?”

Cain just nodded as he slung his pack over his shoulder and left the shop, the bag weighing him down on his right side. He stopped off at Bob’s stall in the market, on his way, to pick up some food, carefully avoiding getting caught up in Brenda’s gossiping. Then he was on his way to meet Robert, his stomach fluttering again, though he thought it was more due to anticipation than it was dread. He found the prince waiting for him on the half broken steps of the farmhouse out at Wylie’s dressed more casually than he’d seen him before. His riding leathers were laid to one side and he was just in a simple shirt and trousers. Of course, the shirt was blue, which showed his wealth anyway. Such dyes weren’t readily available for those not of nobility or royalty. 

When Robert saw him, he smiled and pushed himself up from the steps, coming to meet him. “Afternoon, Aaron!” he said cheerfully. 

“Afternoon, your g-...er...Robert,” he replied, still getting used to not using titles with the prince. Glancing around, he saw Robert’s horse, Tommy, tied up next to the farmhouse and beside him was a dappled brown and black horse of quality stock. “Just traveling with two horses now?” he asked, gesturing toward them. 

“The other’s for you,” Robert said and Aaron could tell he was nervous about it because he added, “You know, if you’d like. He’s at least here for training purposes anyway.”

“Right,” Aaron replied, cautiously walking over to the creature. He put his hand out in front of him to get the horse used to him and let the horse come to him, nuzzling his nose against his fingers. “Good boy,” he said, praising the horse. From his pack, he pulled out an apple that he had bought at Bob’s and sliced off a generous piece with his belt knife, letting him eat it from his hand. 

“I really would like you to have him,” Robert said as he watched the exchange, a smile on his lips. “As a thank you for helping me out. I know you said you haven’t...since…”

“He have a name?” Aaron asked, saving Robert from his awkward line of conversation. 

“Clyde.” 

“Well Clyde,” he said, turning back to the horse, “Looks like you’ll be coming home with me.” 

Behind him, he heard Robert breath out a sigh of relief that he hadn’t messed things up already. Aaron wasn’t sure he was ready to get back on a horse for real, but he was willing to try and he was already becoming attached to Clyde. He finished feeding him the apple and then reached into his bag again. 

“I brought you something too,” he said shyly, not sure how this would go. “Not as fancy as a horse, but…” he held out the skewer towards him and waited. 

A proper grin spread across Robert’s face as he saw the pineapple skewer in front of him, laughter bursting from stretched lips. “I-I,” he kept trying to start but the laughter kept coming and he couldn’t get any words out. Aaron was laughing too now which wasn’t helping the situation. When either one of them showed signs of stopping, the other would start up again and the vicious cycle would continue until they both had tears streaming down their faces, their cheeks sore from smiling. 

“So do you want it or not,” Aaron finally managed to get out. 

Robert grabbed his stomach and sucked in a few deep breaths to calm himself. “I can’t believe you brought me pineapple.” He took the skewer in his hand and took a generous bite, the juices dribbling down his chin in an undignified manner that Aaron found endearing. 

“Seems to be your thing,” Aaron laughed lightly, trying his best not to get hysterical again. He took out skewer of beef and another heel of bread for himself. 

“Beef a metaphor for your life then?” Robert asked as he wolfed down another piece of pineapple.

“No, just hungry,” Aaron smirked at him. “Put in too many hours on your armor to eat a proper dinner.” 

“Oh, right,” Robert said like he had something to apologize for. “How’s it coming then?”

“Looks like a pile of scrap right now, but it’ll get there.” 

“Well I can’t wait to see it,” Robert smiled as he finished off the last piece of pineapple. 

Aaron shoved the last of his food into his mouth as well, wiping off the blood from the meat with the back of his hand. Robert cringed at the gesture but covered it quickly. Aaron just scoffed at him, he wasn’t going to eat daintily just because he was eating in front of a prince, who on the other hand, dabbed at his face with a handkerchief. He just rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to his pack, pulling out a sledgehammer and a handful of horseshoes. 

“So, what are we starting with first?” he asked. 

“I can’t believe my father included hammer throwing and horseshoes in the list of events,” Robert sighed. 

“Too good for it?” Aaron grumbled. 

“No, it’s just, well…” Robert tried to save face. 

“Well, let’s see what you’ve got then,” Aaron shoved the hammer into his hands. He wasn’t sure he liked this side of Robert, that thought he was above throwing the local blacksmith’s hammer as far as he could. 

Robert fumbled with the hammer in his hands, trying to get a good grip on the handle. Backing away from him, Aaron went and stood on the steps of the farmhouse, not wanting to be in the way should he lose control and let the hammer go flying. He watched Robert’s technique, or lack thereof, as he swung his body around, once, twice, three times before he let the hammer go flying through the air. It wobbled and went to the right of where he was aiming and in the end only landed about six meters in front of him. Aaron couldn’t help but laugh. 

Turning toward him, Robert glared at him, and Aaron quickly quieted himself. He was getting the sense that the prince did not like to fail. “I’d like to see you do better!” he shouted over to him. 

Aaron walked the short distance, picked up the hammer and then came back to where Robert was standing. The prince backed off and let him give it a try. It had been a while since he had thrown a hammer, not since his squire days. He thought it might trigger him, but the hammer was so familiar to him now and the prospect of showing up Robert too exciting. Spinning the hammer around twice to get the momentum going, he then turned himself around as fast as he could, four times, finally pushing himself off on his right foot and releasing the hammer. He watched as it hurdled through the air, far surpassing Robert’s throw by about fifteen meters. 

“Well it’s hardly fair,” Robert sneered at him, “your arms are like three times the size of mine!” 

“So you’ve been looking at my arms?” Aaron asked, chewing on his lower lip. 

He heard Robert gulp and took pleasure in the fact that he made him slightly uncomfortable with the comment. It wasn’t one sided, he told himself again, trying to build up his confidence. He wasn’t imagining it. This wasn’t how it was with Adam. 

They practiced the hammer throwing for a while longer until Robert had just about started to grasp the technique, though his arm strength was still somewhat pathetic when it came down to it and his throws never reached much further than ten meters. He was going to have to work on getting his strength up, but with only a fortnight to do so, that seemed rather hopeless. Horseshoes were next, which Robert was much better at. Challenges based on accuracy rather than purely strength and distance definitely suited him better. The same went for archery, which even Aaron was impressed at his skills in that area.

“Why are we even practicing archery?” Aaron laughed, “It’s not like you need to.” 

“To give myself a confidence boost and so I can beat you at something,” he grinned back and took another shot, the arrow punching through the target they had set up right in the bullseye, nearly cleaving the other one already there in two. 

“Show off!” Aaron called out as he went to collect the arrows. “Maybe we ought to go back to hammer throwing, deflate that big head of yours a bit!” 

“I’d rather not,” Robert sighed as he came back. “I think I’ve embarrassed myself with that enough for one day. Besides, my arms are killing me. Don’t know how you swing that thing every day.” 

“You get used to it,” Aaron told him. “Though my arms were so sore when I first started, I literally begged Paddy to take me on as an apprentice instead.” 

Robert reached out and ran a hand over his bicep and Aaron froze, blood rushing past his ears and his heart rate increasing. He glanced down at the prince’s fingers and watched them as his hand squeezed the muscle for a moment. This was not how it was with Adam, he repeated the mantra. 

“Well all that work has paid off,” Robert said, flashing him his charming half smile that he seemed to reserve for moments like these. 

“S-so w-what’s next?” Aaron stuttered, hating himself for stumbling over his words. 

“Wrestling?” Robert suggested casually, letting go of the grip he had on his arm.   
Aaron let out the breath he’d been holding in. “Right,” was all he could get out. 

Robert set down his bow and Aaron the arrows beside them on the porch of the farmhouse and the two of them squared off against each other. Leaning in toward one another, they put their hands on each other’s shoulders. Robert counted them off, one, two, three and then they began pushing at each other. They rotated around in a circle, both of them looking for an angle, a weakness in the other that they could exploit. Robert found it first, Aaron feeling too flustered. He twisted around, his back pressing up against Aaron’s and did his best to pull him over his own body. It was a struggle but he managed and Aaron found himself lying flat on his back in the grassy field. 

He picked himself up, brushing the dirt off of his clothes. “Let’s go again,” he practically demanded. 

“Someone found their competitive streak,” Robert chuckled. 

Aaron ignored him, focusing this time, as they got themselves into the ready position again. He took over counting them off so that he would be ready. Getting the jump on him this time, Aaron pulled back and swung Robert’s arms around, ducked down and grabbed for his leg. He wrenched it from the ground and sent the prince sprawling backward before he fell on top of him to pin him down.

“Feeling better now?” Robert asked, his breathing shallow.

Aaron still had his forearm pressed against Robert’s chest. He let up just a little. “Maybe,” he said. He felt a lot better, really, until he realized that he had his whole body laying across Robert’s, his knee between his thighs and their faces were close enough that he could close the gap so easily. He let up his arm a little more, as all of his thoughts from the past few days came rushing into his mind unbidden all at once. 

Robert took the opportunity, grabbed his waist and flipped them over so now Aaron was staring up at those sparkling blue-green eyes and he couldn’t look away. They just stared at one another for a moment, neither of them daring to make a move. Aaron could see fear burning in Robert’s eyes as well as lust and that scared him a bit too. He didn’t have time to process it long though before Robert finally closed the gap and plunged his lips down onto his own. He still tasted of pineapple, Aaron realized, as he smiled into the kiss. 

It was chaste at first and then Robert made a move to deepen it, sliding his tongue along Aaron’s bottom lip, before pressing it inside, their tongues wrestling as they had been a few moments ago. Robert cupped his face with his large hands, his thumbs rubbing small circles into his cheeks as the kiss continued. Aaron felt himself reaching out with his own hands, pulling at the loose hem of Robert’s shirt. His hand touched the skin of his back for a split second and then Robert pulled back. Thinking it was just to catch his breath, he continued tugging at the shirt but the prince jerked his body away and stood up quickly. 

“You okay?” was all Aaron could think to ask as he lay there uselessly on the ground. 

“I-I should go,” Robert said briskly and backed away more. 

Aaron sat up, wondering what the hell had just happened. This wasn’t like Adam at all, Robert had kissed him first. All he could do was sit there and watch him run to Tommy, untie him and swing up into the saddle. He rode off, leaving everything else behind. 

“Robert!” Aaron called after him, but it was too late.


	8. Chapter Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robert smooths things over with Aaron after the kiss and they get back to training. Chrissie is frustrated that Robert is never around and he tries to appease her but that only makes him realize what he really wants.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry this chapter is so late. First I got distracted by drawing and then I just struggled to write this one. I kind of got ahead in my outline in the last chapter and had some things to sort out for this one. But as a reward for it taking so long to update, it is a ridiculously long chapter, kind of like two chapters in one really. So...enjoy!

Robert sat on the wall surrounding the practice yard, banging the heels of his feet against the stone in irritation. All around him, guards and knights in his father’s service and nobles alike sparred with one another, the clangs and clacks of their various weapons coming together to form a rhythmless din that was only further driving him mad. Distraction was everywhere, threatening to pull his attention away, but Robert only had eyes for Andy. He watched him going round after round against Jai Sharma, the master-at-arms of the castle with a blunted broadsword, one of the events of the upcoming tourney. His shirt was soaked through with sweat by now, the fabric clinging to his well muscled arms. Aaron was right, he needed to work on his arm strength if he wanted to have any chance at all. 

He clawed at the stone wall with his fingers until he could feel the skin threatening to break. Thinking about Aaron was the last thing he wanted to do. Instead, he glued his eyes to Andy, watching him batter his blade against Jai’s shield. When he was younger, Jai’s father, Rishi, had been master-at-arms but he had since given up the job to his children and by the looks of it they had inherited his talent with a blade. Andy was all brute strength but Jai managed to match him most of the time with his speed. Robert knew he would need to adopt a similar tactic, but he grew disheartened as he saw Andy defeat him again and again by just wearing him down. He might as well just concede that event now; it’s not like he ever stood a chance. His mood darkened further as he saw Priya, Rishi’s daughter, circling the two of them, offering pointers, even grabbing the tourney blade from his brother’s hand to show him some better technique. Rishi’s younger son, Nikhil, had gone into the service of the castle guard as befitted a second son, Robert had learned. Priya, on the other hand, shadowed her brother, perhaps in the hopes that one day she could overtake him. He had to admit he understood the sentiment, but right now, he was too frustrated. 

“Taking notes?” Victoria asked, as she leaned against the wall beside him, a perpetual smile on her face. 

“Something like that,” he grumbled, pressing his fingers against the wall again. 

“Oh what now, Rob?” Victoria pushed, knowing him too well. 

“Nothing,” he avoided answering her properly. Staring at his brother again, he watched Priya showing him a move that would allow him to cut off one of Jai’s quick movements. Robert knew he was in so much trouble and he couldn’t take that. His fist slammed into the wall. “Shit!” he cursed. 

“The wall giving you a hard time, Rob?” Andy teased as he passed. “Come down from there and let’s see what you’ve got. It’s been a long time since we’ve properly fought.”

Robert flinched as the sound of Max’s screams as he fell flooded his ears. He shoved the memory back down where it belonged, where he could cope with it and sat up straighter, putting the metaphorical mask back on his face, lest anyone see him crack, especially Andy. “Think I’ll wait until the day of the tourney, brother. I wouldn’t want you to see what I can do just yet.” 

Andy laughed and Robert felt his cheeks flush. All he wanted to do was run but he had to stand his ground. “I’m training with the best father has to offer and you’re training with the local blacksmith,” Andy scoffed. “Somehow I don’t think there’s much to see.”

Robert swallowed hard, setting his jaw with gritted teeth. All he wanted to do was train with the local blacksmith but he had messed that up too. “Well you need all the practice you can get with that sword, Andy,” he said pointedly. “You wouldn’t want to accidentally stab father on the day of the tourney would you? Not before he has a chance to reward you with your rightful title. It’s not like you don’t have form.” He was desperate to dredge up a memory that would hurt Andy just as much as Max hurt him. 

Throwing down his sword, Andy charged at him, his fists up. He grabbed his legs and pulled him from the wall so he landed hard in the dirt. 

“Andy!” Victoria screamed. “Stop it both of you!” 

Robert looked up at Andy’s raised fist that was dangerously close to coming down onto his face and he was grateful for his sister’s interference even though he hated when they fought in front of her. 

“Robert, why do you always have to wind him up?” Victoria shouted at him from the wall above. 

Great, he thought, even she was taking Andy’s side. The one person he still sort of had in his corner and now she was slipping through his fingers as well. 

“Can’t help it,” Robert muttered, half to himself. He looked into Andy’s face and said, “Don’t worry Andy, he’d probably sign the decree with the blood from the wound you gave him rather than let me rule.” He didn’t think he was far off of the truth on that. “It’s not like he didn’t forgive you straight away after last time.”

“That’s not true and you know it,” Andy argued. 

“Near enough that it doesn’t matter,” Robert sneered. “You stab father and he forgives you.” He picked his head up, moving his mouth closer to Andy’s ear, whispering, “You killed mum and he helped you.” It was Andy’s turn to flinch now and though his heart ached for the loss of his mother, he relished in Andy’s discomfort. 

They stared at each other for a moment and then his fist came down onto Robert’s face. He felt the skin of his cheek breaking underneath his brother’s knuckles. “Don’t,” Andy warned him. 

“Max dies,” Robert continued, spitting out blood, “And he sends me away.”

“He was trying to help you,” Andy protested but Robert won’t hear any of it. 

“What by calling me mad and telling me never to come back?” Robert shouted at him. 

“And you should have stayed away,” Andy yelled back, slamming his fist into his shoulder to knock him back into the dirt. 

“You two are both unbelievable,” Victoria cried and turns to walk away. 

Robert squirmed under the weight of Andy’s body and called out, “Vic!” He grabbed hold of the boot Andy had jammed against his chest and flung it backwards with all the strength he had left in him, sending his brother sprawling. Then, standing, he dusted himself off and ran after his sister, not even dignifying his brother with another glance. 

“Vic!” he shouted as his long legs overtook her. 

“I don’t want to hear it Rob!” She wheeled around on her heel to face him, jabbing a finger into his face. 

“Vic,” he said again, trying to decide what he could possibly say. “I just-I-he’s right.”

“Who? Andy?” She folded her arms across her chest, looking up at him with big eyes, still glassy with unshed tears. 

“He’s training with the best and-” he thought about Aaron even though it hurt. “And I’m-I’m going to lose.” He hated admitting it, but it felt pretty much hopeless at this point and it all just came spilling out. “I’m going to lose and then I’m going to have to leave and I just got my family back. Well...you anyway.” 

“Robert, he loves you. He wouldn’t send you away.” 

He snorted derisively. That was a lie. “He did before,” he reminded her. 

“Rob-”

“Just don’t Vic,” he told her, his voice catching in his throat. 

Victoria softened as she stared up at him and he loved her for always being quick to forgive. Her arms dropped to her sides and swung back and forth for a few moments like she was nervous about something, stopping every now and then to ball up the fabric of her skirts. “Look,” she finally said. “Just go fix things with Aaron and get back to training. At least make it a fair fight. Don’t just give up. I don’t want to lose you.”

“I don’t want to lose you either,” he replied quickly, not fully realizing what she had said. “Wait-how did you know? What?”

“Just something Adam said, about Aaron sulking around the tavern last night saying something happened yesterday at your training session and that he probably wouldn’t be doing it anymore.” 

Yeah, he’d kissed him, Robert remembered the feel of his soft lips under his, and then he’d panicked. It was not lost on him that his sister just admitted to meeting the farm boy, probably in secret somewhere. He felt almost proud of her, like he was rubbing off on her in some small way. He was also pleased that it didn’t seem like Aaron had explained the real reason behind why he had run off yesterday. 

“So you’re going to sort it, right?” she questioned.

“Yeah,” he said quietly. “I’ll have to, won’t I?” The thought of crawling back to Aaron now, made his head spin with fear and nerves, not sure what he would even say. The thought of Andy and his broadsword smashing repeatedly against Jai’s shield was enough to remind him that he had little choice though. 

“Good,” she finally gave him a smile. 

“So Adam, huh?” he smirked at her. 

“And Aaron,” she said with a wink and turned to walk away. 

His wide eyes followed her as she went, his heart rate increasing. Did she know? Had Aaron said something? Was he just that obvious? His stomach turned a bit at the thought, wondering if anyone else was going to pick up on it, wondering what his father would say if he knew. Jack would disown him, he was sure of it. A king needed to have a queen and an heir for that matter. He felt sick and knew that as much as he needed Aaron’s help, he also needed to keep things strictly to training between them. He had Chrissie, he reminded himself, he didn’t need any distractions. 

Saddling Tommy, he headed off toward the farmhouse at Wylie’s. He was just a little early and he had this vain hope that Aaron would just show up anyway, perhaps bring him some more pineapple and they could just go back to how things were before the kiss. They had got on before that; they could be friends. It was all he needed right now, all he could have.

The farm was empty when he arrived, no Aaron in sight. He found all of his things, his bow and arrows, the target, the hammer and the horseshoes, as well as his blunt edged broadsword, stick and lance that they hadn’t gotten to yesterday, all tucked away neatly just inside the door. Picking up his bow, quiver and the target, he took them outside. He set the target up as far as he dared and went back to the line he had drawn. The familiar strain of his muscles as he knocked an arrow and drew the fletching back so his curled fingers rested against his bottom lip relaxed him. He counted to three, taking deep, calming breaths and then loosed the arrow, watching it fly across the yard. When he heard the tip punch the target, he didn’t even have to look to know he had hit the bullseye. Smiling to himself, he knocked another arrow. 

“I thought we decided yesterday that you ‘practicing’ archery was a rather pointless activity,” Robert heard Aaron’s voice in his ear and whipped his body around to see the blacksmith riding into the yard on Clyde’s back. It made him smile to see him up on the black and brown horse, looking so comfortable and sure of himself. He could tell yesterday that he had been nervous about accepting the gift. 

“I’ve had a rough morning,” he spoke vaguely. “You look good up there,” he couldn’t stop himself from blurting out. Shit! He needed to rein himself in before he messed everything up again. “I wasn’t sure you’d come,” he added. 

“Neither was I,” Aaron admitted, “Only really here because of Adam.” 

“Adam?” Robert asked, suppressing the grin on his face when he thought of his sister. 

“He seemed to think you’d be here and that I shouldn’t pass up the opportunity.” 

“I see,” Robert replied. What was his sister up to?

Aaron swung down from the saddle and approached him cautiously, still holding onto Clyde’s reins as if to assure himself that he could escape at a moment's notice. “So…” He stammered, shifting awkwardly from one foot to the other, half watching his own feet and half peeking up at Robert to gauge his reaction. 

Robert knew what he was asking and knew what he had to do. “It was a mistake,” he said firmly, as much for himself as for Aaron. “It shouldn't have happened. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable.”

“You didn't,” Aaron said quietly, looking up at him through dark lashes. 

“It meant nothing,” Robert drove the point home. “I love Chrissie and when all of this is finished, I'm going to marry her. Let’s just get back to training, yeah?”

“Fine,” Aaron said, his voice tight, the word clipped like he didn't even want to be saying it. 

“How are you with a broadsword?” He asked, putting the focus where it needed to be. 

“Alright I guess,” Aaron replied. “Made enough of them anyway.”

“Great,” Robert sighed and went to the house to fetch the tourney swords. His brother was training with the ones who perfected the art and he was training with the one who made the blades themselves. Nope, nothing could go wrong. 

Aaron was better with a sword than he made out to be, not that Robert was completely surprised. The man had a habit of downplaying his talents. As they fought, he knew he had made a good choice in picking Aaron to train with as he used the same brute force techniques that Andy did. Unfortunately, Robert didn't quite have Jai’s skill at dodging his opponent’s blade. He had the speed but lacked the coordination and often ended up tangled up in his own limbs, sometimes bringing Aaron down with him. 

“Robert!” Aaron yelled at him after one such occasion. “Is this some kind of strategy or something? Just be clumsy and fall on top of your brother?”

“Think it would work?” He quipped, grinning at him as they both rubbed at the bruises they were collecting. 

“Might be your best option,” Aaron returned the smile. 

Their legs were still intertwined and they stared at one another just a little too long before Robert came back to himself and scrambled to get up. “Go again?” He asked, still trying to catch his breath. 

Aaron picked himself up, glancing down at a scrape on his elbow. He was bleeding a little. Robert gasped when he saw it. “It's fine,” Aaron assured him. “I've had worse. Maybe we ought to try something else for a bit?”

“Right,” Robert agreed, forcing himself to tear his eyes away from the wound. 

Aaron set up the quintain along one side of a fence that was miraculously still standing after all of these years, while Robert went and mounted Tommy again. When he was finished, Aaron handed him his tourney lance and Robert couched it under his arm and rode hard at the straw man. He imagined it was Andy; it helped him focus, slamming the blunted end of the lance into its heart. Sparing a glance at Aaron, he saw his mouth forming that frown that he’s noticed he makes all of the time for every different occasion. This time it was coupled with a curt nod and Robert took it to mean that he was reasonably impressed. He was a decent at the joust, having a lot of practice in tourneys as a knight in Lawrence’s service. He had ridden against Andy a fair number of times as well before his exile and he sat a horse well, but Robert had bonded with Tommy to the point where they were almost one being when they rode. He doubted Andy would have that with his new horse, or so he told himself. Aaron swung up into Clyde’s saddle and trotted over to him offering him a few pointers. He really did look good on that horse, Robert noted despite himself. 

“I'm glad you decided to keep him,” he said once when Aaron paused in his lessons later that day. They were both exhausted by that point. 

“Me too,” Aaron replied, ruffling Clyde's mane affectionately. 

Over the next few days, he settled into a rhythm with Aaron, meeting every afternoon for training and working until the sun dipped below the horizon. After that first day back, their awkwardness around one another had subsided a bit. Aaron still seemed a little on edge around him sometimes and they both seemed to be working overtime to try and not let anything happen between them again. Still, in those moments of tense silence when they would inevitably end up tangled up in one another again and again, he could tell that Aaron was desperate to kiss him again. If Robert was being honest, he wanted Aaron to kiss him too, almost hoped that he would just take the decision out of his hands entirely. Every time though, Aaron would catch himself and hold back, scowling at him instead. Robert came to treasure those scowls, because he knew what they meant. 

Chrissie has started to become increasingly annoyed with him always disappearing for long hours to go train. After the kiss, he had come back to the castle, his head a wreck and he had made love to her, almost to prove a point to himself. Since then, they had not been together and he could feel the frustration radiating off of her the moment he entered their chambers. He was exhausted though, after returning from training, his body aching with new bruises and new muscles strained. All he wanted to do was lie down and let his tired body drift off to sleep. She would lay next to him and curl up into his side and he would tell himself that this was what he wanted, what he needed. 

The problem was, the more he spent time with Aaron, the more he liked him. It was more than just being attracted to him though, getting caught up in his intense blue eyed gaze. He genuinely liked the guy, liked that he could see through him, through all of his bluster. The mask he wore with others came off for Aaron and it was like he could be himself for the first time in his life. He didn’t have to try so hard, except in trying not to kiss him again. Sometimes he wondered if maybe he should. Perhaps he should just sleep with him and get it over with, get him out of his system, but in the back of his mind, he knew that would never work. It would probably only make him want him more. 

“Let’s have lunch in the gardens today,” Chrissie half pleaded with him on the fifth day, draping her arms around his neck, the long dagged sleeves of her dress cascading down his back. “You don’t have to be at training until later. Not that I see the need for you to train every day.” 

“Trust me, it’s needed,” Robert told her and it wasn’t a lie. He was improving at some things but his hammer throwing was still just short of pathetic. Truthfully, he needed all of the practice he could get. 

“So lunch?” she asked again, kissing his cheek with painted lips. Robert groaned, knowing some of the red color would be left behind on his skin. “You’ve already disappeared all morning,” she added in an extra complaint. 

He had been watching Andy train again, moving away from the broadsword and onto the quarterstaff, the last event their father had lined up for them. Robert and Aaron had hardly touched the staves he had brought to the farmhouse considering he needed so much help with other things. Today, he fought with Priya, the quarterstaff clearly her weapon of choice. Robert was just thankful he wasn’t facing off against her or he’d lose for sure. Andy was learning though and his doubts were growing. They would definitely be working with the quarterstaff today. 

“Robert?” Chrissie brought him back to the present, kissing into his neck. He felt his body respond and he moaned as she took his earlobe in her mouth. She pulled back then. “I’ll see you for lunch, in an hour.” 

Robert went into town instead, stopping off in the castle kitchens first and filching a few pies, before heading to the blacksmith shop. He noticed that sometimes Aaron would forget to eat and spend the rest of the afternoon complaining about how hungry he was or the stew he was dreaming about eating later at the tavern after training. He was also eager to see the progress he was making on his armor. 

When he entered the shop, he stood in the doorway for a moment, just watching Aaron work. His blue eyed blacksmith was deep in concentration as he hammered out the hollow of his breastplate. Robert watched the muscles on his arm ripple with each stroke of the rounded hammer, sparks flying from the metal, as each hit landed precisely where he meant it to. On the work table off to the side, Robert could see the pauldrons of the suit already shaped, a few tested details already chiseled into place. He moved in to get a closer look under the watchful eye of Cain, who for once held his tongue and didn’t say a word. Robert could still feel his disapproval though. Picking up the left pauldron, he inspected it, running his fingertips over the scaling and smiling to himself. He wondered what people’s reactions will be when he strides into the tourney wearing the full suit and laughs to himself. No one will understand, but he hardly cares. 

“What are you doing here?” Aaron asked, finally noticing his presence. 

“Just wanted to see how you were coming along,” he said, “you know, check up on my investment. I’m taking quite a risk on you, being so inexperienced.” He bit the inside of his cheek in order to keep a straight face as he said it. 

“And?” Aaron urged him to continue, his eyes pleading and Robert could see the nerves present in the way he folded his arms in on himself, the way his gaze shifted suddenly to the floor and the way he bit at his lower lip, nearly sucking the entire thing into his mouth. 

Robert bit at his own to keep his composure and then put him out of his misery quickly. “It looks amazing so far,” he told him, the right side of his mouth quirking up into a half smile. 

“Thanks,” Aaron said with pride, giving Cain a sideways glance as if to say that his compliment proved something. 

“If you’re finished for the day, I brought you some lunch,” he told him as he nodded to the pack he carried with him. “Thought we could eat it at Wylie’s before training?” 

“Yeah, sounds great,” Aaron agreed. 

As he had promised himself, they worked with the quarterstaff that day, spending the whole time dancing around each other, both literally and metaphorically. Robert had brought him lunch and that had seemed to mean a lot to Aaron, not that it had stopped him from wolfing the whole thing down in two bites. While Robert had savored his, Aaron had inhaled his, the juices from the meat once again dripping down his chin to be wiped away with his sleeve. It drove Robert crazy, but secretly, he liked the fact that Aaron felt comfortable enough with him that he didn’t feel the need to try and impress him. 

“I should get back,” he said a little earlier than usual this time, letting the staff fall to his side. He knew Chrissie would be angry with him for skipping out on lunch and Robert could hardly blame her. He knew he had been unfair to her. She was doing so much for him and she was being there for him in all of the ways he had ever wanted. Chrissie had his back and he knew that she would never choose his brother over him. She might be the only one. Plus, he knew that she was the only reason that his father was even considering this tourney. He owed her a lot and he knew he needed to start showing it more, needed to find a better balance. The disappointed look on Aaron’s face though still made his heart ache. 

“Right,” Aaron mumbled, punching the end of his staff into the dirt. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Robert tried to reassure him. 

“Fine,” was all Aaron replied with, not bringing his eyes to meet Robert’s as he ground the staff further into the loose earth that they had kicked up in all of their training. 

Robert rode off, Tommy sure and solid beneath him. He glanced back at Aaron and their eyes met for a moment, the gaze intense and laden with unspoken feelings. It was Aaron that broke it first, returning his eyes to the ground and Robert felt his heart lurch in his chest. God! What is wrong with me? Robert scolded himself, as he twisted around in his saddle, eyes front again. He tried to focus on Chrissie again, the curves of her body, the way it felt when he ran his hands through her silky hair but all he could think about were hard muscles and a bearded face and the way his hair fluffed up after they’d been training for a long time and all of the wax he plastered his hair down with had disappeared. Taking a deep breath, he tried a different tactic, working through what lie he was going to spin for Chrissie about why he had missed their lunch. By the time he reached the castle gates, he still didn’t have a good answer. 

Lachlan was loitering in the courtyard, Dog trailing ever at his heels. The boy looked up at him as he handed Tommy’s reins to one of the stablehands. “She’s not happy with you,” he warned him. 

“No, I suppose she’s not,” he agreed, not having the energy to try and spin anything with Lachlan. 

“She said you’d take me on a hunt tomorrow,” the boy told him as he tried to pass. 

Turning on his heel, he half glared at Lachlan, his voice rough when he spoke, “She what?” Was this some kind of punishment? Then again, she didn’t see spending time with her son as a bad thing the way he did. 

“She said your training was going well, that you could take the day off,” Lachlan explained. 

Did she now? Robert raged internally. He had thought she understood just how important all of this was to him, but now he wasn’t so sure. “We’ll see Lucky,” he said, placating him with the affectionate nickname his mother often used. The lad really must be desperate if he was so keen to go on a hunt with him. 

Dog nipped at his ankles as he passed him by and he shot the creature a hard look and growled at him low in his throat until he shrank away. His footsteps were heavy on the marble floors of the castle as he strode through the halls with a purpose. He was fully ready to let Chrissie know exactly what he thought about her not taking this tourney seriously enough but he was stopped in his tracks by Lawrence at the end of the corridor toward his rooms. 

“And where do you think you’re going with a face like that?” he asked him, his voice stern and cold, making Robert long for the days when they had actually gotten on. 

“I-I” he stammered, cheeks flush half with anger and half with shame. 

“Look, Robert,” Lawrence commanded all of his attention. “You know well that I don’t care for your relationship with my daughter but we both know that it’s necessary. You owe me this alliance. You were nothing when you entered my service and I raised you up to what you are now-”

“I earned everything I got,” Robert argued. 

“Robert,” Lawrence chastised him again but Robert was adamant about the fact that he had risen based on merit. “We’re so close. Do not screw this up now. You know I have ways of making you pay for it if you do.” 

The foreign king emphasized his final point with a sharp jab to his shoulder. He already had a bruise there and the blow stung. Sucking in a breath, he tried desperately not to let it show. He watched the king disappear into the stairwell and Robert was alone again, all of the fight had gone out of him. His original mission was back in his mind, make sure Chrissie knew that her love and support was appreciated. 

When he opened the door, he found her pacing, the voluminous skirts of her dress swishing back and forth in a steady rhythm. She stopped when she heard him come in, looking over at him with red eyes. Her mouth was a hard line and he could see her delicate hand balled into fists. His heart sank at the thought that she had been crying. Moving with purpose, he crossed the room and tried to pull her into a hug, but she shoved him off. 

“Chrissie, I’m sorry,” he said honestly. At this point, he really was. He knew it was a mistake to go into town early but he had done it anyway. Now, he wished he hadn’t as he tried to take her into his arms one more time, her body stiff and rigid beneath his touch. 

“What was so important, Robert?” she demanded to know. 

His usual instinct was to lie and come up with some at least half convincing story but he figured he owed it to her not to do that for once. “I don’t have a good explanation, Chrissie. I really am sorry. I know I’ve been rubbish lately.”

Chrissie wriggled out of his grasp again and crossed her arms over her chest. “That’s an understatement.” 

“This is important to me, this tourney, this chance to get my rightful title back,” he told her the truth but in a much calmer way than he was intending to before. 

“It’s important to me too,” Chrissie conceded. “I just hate that you’re never around anymore and I’m stuck here in this castle. Your family clearly don’t want me here.” 

“That’s not true,” he tried to reassure her, but he had no idea if that were true. He had to assume it was. Anyone who was associated with him was unwanted so he added, “And if it is, it’s to do with me, not you.” 

Chrissie reached a hand out and placed it on his shoulder, giving it a slight squeeze. It still hurt from Lawrence’s punch but he tried not to let that show. Instead, he took it as an invitation. “I’m here now,” he said, “let me make it up to you.” 

He found a slight smile forming on her face and wrapped a large hand around her waist and pulled her close to him. Dipping his head down, he kissed her deeply, his tongue finding hers as she melted beneath him. He remembered the taste of beef and sweat and burnt honey and pushed it out of his mind, pulling at the laces on the bodice of her dress. Spinning her around to get better access, he tugged at them frantically, feeling the heat in his groin. She laughed as he grunted in frustration as he freed the lacing from the final grommet and ripped the bodice open properly, pulling it down to her waist. He turned her back around to face him, pressing her naked breasts against his chest as he kissed her again. Her hand was around his back, fumbling with the hem of his shirt that had come untucked long hours before during training. He remembered the feel of Aaron’s calloused fingers against his skin for that one brief moment as she pulled the shirt over his head and for a moment when he could see again, he saw Aaron staring back at him. Shaking his head free of the image, he pulled Chrissie towards the bed, leaving clothes trailing behind them as they went. 

When she had her hand wrapped around him, he wondered what it would feel like to have Aaron’s calloused hands there instead, closing his eyes, he imagined it and groaned at the image. Chrissie sped up her movements, clearly encouraged and he kissed along her jawline, dreaming about rough stubble scratching his lips. When he was inside her, his hands running over her smooth body, gripping her hips as he thrust, he thought about his hands on the hard muscles of Aaron’s chest, what it would feel like to have his strong thighs wrapped around him. When he came he bit his tongue so hard he drew blood trying not to call out his name. He knew that he had to have him.   
Sated, Chrissie fell asleep quickly and he knew from experience that she wouldn’t wake again for some time. He pulled the blankets up and tucked her in before he pulled on his clothes and slipped out of room, out of the castle and into the night. The air was cool, forming goosebumps on his skin as he made his way to the stables to saddle Tommy. They rode through the darkened streets of the lower town and Robert could feel the anticipation bubbling up inside of him. He thought about heading straight for the tavern but he had a hunch he would find him somewhere else. Turning onto the familiar street, he soon found himself outside of the blacksmith shop and smiled when he saw the glow of the lantern and the forge coming from inside. 

For the second time that day, Robert stood in the doorway of the shop watching Aaron work. The younger man wore a frown on his face as he slammed the hammer down onto the red hot metal of a piece that he thought might one day be his helmet from the shape that was starting to form. Sweat dripped from his body, his black shirt clinging tightly to his arms and pulled taut across his broad chest. Robert wanted nothing more than to rip it from his body but he managed to control himself and remain where he was for a while longer, just observing. Aaron’s hammer blows grew harder and more erratic and Robert could tell he was frustrated, likely the same way he was, he suspected. Finally, he picked up the piece of pounded iron in his gloved hand and flung it across the room. It landed somewhere near his feet. 

“That part of the process?” he asked with a grin. 

“R-Robert?” Aaron sputtered, his eyes widening. “Why are you here?” 

“I came to say sorry,” he said, “for earlier.” 

“It’s fine Robert,” Aaron sighed, exhausted. 

“I shouldn’t have backed off before,” he admitted for the first time.

Aaron looked up at him curiously as Robert drew closer to him. “Just go home, Robert,” he told him. 

“Fine,” he replied, having no intention of doing so. “But first I want to know one thing.” He reached out and grabbed hold of his arms. 

The younger man rolled his eyes and shrugged out of his grasp. 

Robert wasn’t going to let him go that easily though. He took his shoulders in his hands and backed him up against the work table, staring down at him. Aaron looked up at him again, confusion in his eyes first and then lust as they flicked down to his lips for a moment. Robert took that as a sign of consent and pressed his lips against Aaron’s. It was every bit as good as he remembered. He deepened the kiss quickly, sliding his hands up to cup his face, relishing in the feel of his beard under his fingers. It was softer than he thought it would be but he liked it. Aaron’s hands found their way into the fabric of the front of his shirt, pulling him closer and closer until their was no space between them. Finally they had to break apart, both gasping for air. Robert smiled at him and went to undo the laces on his shirt, but Aaron stopped him. 

“What?” he asked, unsure of what was happening. 

“Not here,” Aaron said, nodding around the room at all of the sharp tools and scraps of metal and the forge still burning. 

“Right,” Robert agreed. “Where?” 

“Wylie’s?” Aaron suggested. 

Robert nodded and the two of them cleaned up the shop as quickly as they could, putting out the fire in the forge and blowing out the lantern. Their hands kept brushing against each other as they worked, shoulders bumping together and a few times they just gave in and stopped to kiss for a few fleeting moments. Finally they were outside, the cold air enveloping them, a harsh change from the heat of the shop. Robert didn’t mind though, his body was on fire all on its own anyway. 

“Where’s Clyde?” he asked when he didn’t see Aaron’s horse. 

“Left him at Paddy’s, didn’t I,” Aaron groaned. “Not like I expected any late night visitors.” 

“Well you’ll just have to ride with me then,” Robert smiled at him though he wouldn’t be able to see it in the dark. He swung up in the saddle remembering their first ride together and held out a hand for Aaron. He took it eagerly and mounted up behind him. “Remember, hold on tight,” he added and felt Aaron’s arms wrap tightly around his waist, no hesitation this time. He buried his face in the back of his neck, kissing him again. Robert kicked his heels into Tommy’s flank and raced off towards the old abandoned farm. 

They were barely in the door and already they were kicking off their boots and pulling off each other’s shirts and cloaks, letting all of the garments fall to the floor without concern. Upstairs, they found an old bedroom, the bed still there. Robert remembered a different tryst he had had in this very room, years ago, with Katie, but he shoved that memory aside with full force, not intending to let her ruin this for him. He drank Aaron in, kissing his lips, his flushed cheeks, his bearded jaw, his corded neck, all the way down his front. He stopped for a moment when he found several old burns littered across his stomach, but he figured they were just hazards of the trade and kept going, pulling at the laces of his trousers with his teeth. Aaron laughed, that beautiful sound making him weak and thankful he was already on his knees. 

He was content to stay there for a while, but Aaron pulled him back to his feet, kissing him again, Robert finally feeling those rough, calloused hands running freely across his bare torso, fingers pressing into his flesh. Aaron finished undoing the laces on his own trousers, letting them pool at his feet until he stepped out of them and then set to work on Robert’s. Needing him closer, Robert gripped his hips and pulled him flush against him, delighting in the friction between their naked bodies. He was moving them slowly towards the bed when he felt Aaron’s lips detach from his own, his whole body ducking down. Aaron’s arms wrapped around his right leg and all of a sudden he was weightless, falling backwards onto the bed. He recognized the move from their second wrestling match and laughed as Aaron climbed on top of him to pin him down. 

“This is hardly the time for training!” he said, incredulous. 

“I don’t know,” Aaron said, his voice light and playful, as he straddled him, pressing down on his shoulders to keep him immobile. “You do need a lot of practice.” 

“Just kiss me, you idiot,” Robert practically begged, desperate to feel his lips on his again. 

“That I can do,” Aaron replied, leaning down.

They both smiled into the kiss.


	9. Chapter Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aaron and Robert grow closer, but will Aaron tell him how he feels about him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Took me longer than I expected again, but it's another long chapter, so enjoy!

They both collapsed onto the bed, grinning like fools in motley, their naked limbs still intertwined. The once stale from disuse smell of the room and bed had been replaced by their scents mingling together. Coal from the forge and burnt honey from the wax in his hair, Robert’s rich perfumes and sweat and sex and always just a hint of pineapple. Aaron breathed it in as he came down from the high, his body still shaking a little bit. He curled into Robert's side and lay his head on his freckled chest, feeling the rapid beating of his heart. Robert stroked lazy fingers through his hair mumbling some comment about how he liked it better like this without all of the wax. 

“We really should get back to training,” Aaron said after a while, the reluctance clear in his voice.

He felt Robert kiss his head and then the prince untangled himself from his body and climbed over top of him, his knees on either side of his hips. “I think this counts,” Robert protested. “You ready to go again?”

Aaron could already feel his hardness pressed up against his thigh. He laughed. “Are you serious?”

“Look!” He said with a mischievous smile as he positioned his body over Aaron’s supporting himself with his arms. “I'll hold myself up like this the whole time so I'll be working on my arm strength.”

Aaron grabbed his face between his hands and pulled him down for a kiss. “You're ridiculous, you know that,” Aaron told him when they broke apart again. 

“All part of my charm!” Robert gave him a wicked grin that Aaron could hardly refuse. 

They managed to get some training in eventually though their time together was nearly cut in half. Focusing mostly on the quarterstaff today, Aaron was pleased with Robert’s progress. He thought he might even have a chance at defeating Andy in the tourney at this point. Hammer throwing was a lost cause of course, no matter how much ‘arm strength training’ they did, but archery was a lock for him. Horseshoes was his contest to lose as well. The broadsword would go to Andy unless Robert tangled him up enough times and he thought wrestling could go either way as well as the quarterstaff. The last was the joust and another toss up but Aaron thought Robert had the edge with Tommy, no matter how well bread Andy’s new horse was. 

“You know,” Robert said as the sun was going down and they were walking over to their horses. “Every time you pick up the quarterstaff, you get a little twitch in your eye.” Robert put a finger under his chin to lift his face toward his to get a better look. 

Shit! He thought he'd hidden that better. It bothered him a little to work so closely with the weapon again, but he was trying hard not to think about it. Gordon had been training him in the quarterstaff the third time he had hurt him and Aaron had never touched the weapon again until now. 

“Aaron?” Robert asked, noticing his silence. 

“It's nothing,” Aaron tried. 

With his hand still holding his chin, he inclined his head a little more and leaned down to kiss him softly. “You can tell me anything,” he said when he pulled back. 

Aaron didn't know what to say. He was starting to trust Robert, more than trust him. He was falling hard for him and he knew it. It scared the hell out of him. “I can't,” he said, more out of habit. “Not yet.”

Robert kissed him again and then nodded and Aaron was grateful he wasn't pushing him to talk. He had only told Paddy about it after he'd caught him burning himself in the shop. Talking about it wasn't something he liked to do. Slinging his arm around his shoulder, Robert pulled him close to him as they walked the rest of they way to the horses. 

“You know I've been meaning to ask you,” Aaron said to fill the growing silence.

“Anything,” Robert said, his worried expression fading. 

“What is with the pineapple thing?”

The prince laughed and shook his head. “Just a bit of silliness really,” he sighed but Aaron could tell there was more to it.

He raised his eyebrows a bit, hoping he might elaborate. 

“It was just there, sitting on the table in my room when I got back, mocking me.”

“Mocking you?” Aaron laughed, feeling the tension of earlier receding. 

“Yeah, look, it's no secret that I don't get on well with my family. When your father banishes you from your own kingdom it's kind of a given. I just always feel like I have to work twice as hard to get anywhere in my life. The pineapple represents that,” Robert finished, seeming satisfied with his explanation. 

“Right,” Aaron tried to understand. 

“It's a metaphor!”

“So you've said,” Aaron laughed again and wrapped an arm around his waist. 

They kissed one last time before they parted, perched on the backs of their horses, fortunate that Tommy and Clyde were as comfortable with each other as they were. In fact, Clyde seemed almost as sad as Aaron felt watching the white horse trot away carrying Robert off with him. Aaron hated this part of his day, the part where he had to watch Robert go back to the castle, back to his real life, back to her. He wanted Robert to be able to come have a drink with him at the Woolpack, to share his bed at night instead of going back to the Princess Christine. She had only ever said one word to him before, but he hated her. She was ruining his life and she didn’t even know it. He took a deep breath and urged Clyde towards home. This whole thing with Robert was starting to be too much for him, he wanted more, but he didn’t want to get hurt either. Darkly, he thought to himself, that nothing good had ever come from waiting to tell someone how he felt either. 

Stabling Clyde at Paddy’s, Aaron made the short walk to the Woolpack. He was desperate for a drink to calm the storm of feelings brewing inside of him. His mother was behind the bar as usual, chatting away with Paddy and his cousin, Marlon, until she shooed the cook back into the kitchen complaining that the patrons were getting restless. Aaron glanced around. That was hardly true. It was a rather slow night in fact, only the true regulars around. Jimmy and Nicola were sat arguing in the corner. Pearl was grilling Sandy, the King’s drunk old jester, for gossip from the castle and Edna was pretending that she wasn’t listening. Cain was there as well, having supper with Moira, her daughter, Holly, who had just returned from an artist’s apprenticeship in the kingdom of London, and of course Adam. His friend got up from the table when he saw him walk in a joined him at the bar. 

“Hiya Dingle lad,” Adam said, slapping him on the back. Aaron shoved him back, nearly making him spill his drink, which he set on the bar for safety purposes. “How’s the training going?” 

“Yeah, fine,” Aaron said, hiding his smile behind the mug of ale his mother put down in front of him. 

“What do you reckon his chances are then?” 

“Why are you so interested?” Aaron asked, noting the eager look on Adam’s face. 

“I’m not,” his friend protested, “I’m just taking an interest in your life is all.” 

“Right,” Aaron eyed him suspiciously. “I dunno, I think he might do alright if he has a lucky day.” 

“Good,” Adam grinned and downed the rest of his ale. “Well, I have to get going, but we’ll talk more later, yeah.”

“Yeah,” Aaron nodded. “Wait!” he called after him. “Where are you running off to?” 

Adam didn’t answer, just turned at the door and flashed him a beaming smile and then disappeared. What was all that about? Aaron wondered as he leaned against the counter of the bar. 

“He’s been disappearing a lot lately,” Holly said as she came to get a refill. 

“Has he now,” Aaron couldn’t help but think that Adam had been less obsessive about mentioning Princess Victoria as of late and he wondered if maybe that chance encounter at the broken fence had done both of them some good. 

Thinking about Robert was just making him anxious now as he gulped down the rest of his drink. He considered the unanswered question about the quarterstaff again and wondered just how much he should open up to him. Scaring him off with his tragic past, wasn’t something he was interested in doing, but Robert did say he could tell him anything. Aaron almost believed that too. He had such a hard time trusting anyone beyond a select few, but that number was starting to extend to the prince. A bowl of stew suddenly appeared in front of him and he looked up to find his mother staring down at him, worry in her eyes. 

“You look tired, love,” she said as she refilled his mug. “Are you sure all this training is such a good idea? Surely you have enough to worry about with the armor.” 

“It’s fine Mum, honest,” he said as he dipped a heel of black bread into the stew, soaking up all of the flavor. He shoved it into his mouth greedily and a little ran down his chin. Again, he was thinking about Robert and how much it annoyed him when he wiped it off with his sleeve. He did it anyway and smirked to himself. “It’s the best part of my day,” he added without really thinking about it.” 

He heard his mother clear her throat and he glanced up at her. Seeing her surprised face, he realized what he had just said. “I just don’t want you to work yourself too hard,” she reminded him, as she studied his face, looking for some truth there that he wasn’t sharing. 

“I won’t,” he answered quickly and took his food and drink to a table near the hearth, desperate not to have to deal with anything more she might have to say about his statement. 

His quiet meal was interrupted when Paddy sat himself down beside him. He should have known his mother would send him over, always did when she wasn’t able to get something out of him. The bald man sat quietly for a while, just warming his hands over the fire in the hearth and glancing over at him every few moments, lines of concern creasing his massive forehead, like an egg about to crack. His mouth opened and closed repeatedly as if he was trying to work out just what to say to him. Eventually Aaron couldn’t take it anymore. 

“Oh just spit it out Paddy!” He practically growled the words. 

“No, I-I, I just, w-wanted to know how you were getting on is all,” the words stumbled out of his mouth with an ungraceful gait.

Aaron sighed heavily, setting his drink down on the table with a thud. “She does, more like.” 

“She’s just worried about you Aaron.”

“Well she doesn’t need to be. I’m fine.” He plastered a grin on his face as if to prove a point. 

“Very convincing,” Paddy teased, “but I’ve seen a real one of those on your face more often than not lately. It’s been a nice change to that scowly thing you’re usually doing.” 

“Yeah, well I’ve been happy,” he said and it seemed like a foreign word to him he so rarely used it. Paddy was looking at him, eyes bright with encouragement, wanting him to talk to him. 

“And now you’re not?” Paddy prodded. “Did something happen?”

“No,” he said too fast, “I don’t know.” Paddy gestured with his hands for him to continue. Aaron just stared down at his own hands, running his fingers over the callouses that Robert seemed to enjoy so much. He wanted to talk about it, knew he needed to before he let it destroy him and everyone else around him. That was the old Aaron and he was trying to be better. Glancing around, he saw his mum talking to Cain and distracted for a moment and then turned back to Paddy. “I met someone.” 

“YOU MET SOMEONE?” Paddy said all too loudly. 

Aaron shot another look toward his mother but she had disappeared into the kitchen and he was grateful. “Keep it down, will ya Paddy!” 

“Right, sorry...sorry. You met someone. Okay,” he calmed down a bit. 

“Yeah, and it’s going well, I think. We’ve been spending a lot of time together,” he said, trying to keep things vague but though Paddy wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed, he was like to work this one out. It’s not like he had a lot of time to be spending time with anyone but Prince Robert. 

“So what’s the problem?” Paddy asked. “He is...you know...it’s not like it was with…”

“No Paddy, not like with Adam. And yeah, he is, or something anyway...we’ve...you know…” Aaron buried his face in his hands in embarrassment. He hardly wanted to have a conversation about his sex life with Paddy. 

“Oh,” Paddy said and then, “Oh!” He paused for a moment and Aaron looked up at him again. “Sorry, then what’s the problem?”

“Well he’s not exactly available, is he?” Aaron sighed. 

“No, no, right…” Paddy trailed off as he was working it all out in his head. “But you really like him?”

Aaron just nodded. 

“Is it more than that? Do you love him?”

He felt a tear forming in the corner of his eye and slide down his cheek. Wiping it away, he allowed himself to nod again. It was more than that and he did think that he loved him. His cheeks burned with embarrassment and fear and few more tears fell from his eyes. He heard his mother return to the bar and he knew it would only be a matter of time before she found out everything as well. Turning towards Paddy, he gave him a pleading look and then ran from the tavern. 

Racing through the streets of the lower town, he wasn’t exactly sure where was going but he should have guessed where his legs would take him. The church was at the edge of town, up near the castle, and beyond that the graveyard. There was a separate crypt where all of the former kings of Emmerdale and their families were buried and then all the rest. He didn’t stop running until he was in front of his headstone, finding it by memory, by instinct instead of actually looking for it. Collapsing onto his knees, he heaved out a few ragged breaths, trying to calm himself down, tears streaming down his face by this point. 

He traced the letters of Jackson’s name in the stone and thought about what he would say about all of this. Would he approve of what he was doing with Robert? No, of course not. Jackson had been a good, honest man. He would never have condoned sleeping with someone behind another person’s back. Aaron wouldn’t normally either but he just couldn’t seem to help himself with Robert and despite the fact that he had told him he loved Chrissie, he doubted that Robert actually felt that way. He couldn’t, not with the way he was with him. Could he tell him how he felt though? Would it ruin everything? 

“I’m sorry,” he sobbed, gripping his fingers tight around the headstone as if that would bring him closer to Jackson. “I’m sorry I never told you how I felt.”

He had been with Jackson for a few months after he had come to terms with wanting to be with him in the first place, after everything had come out about Gordon. Things were going well with them too, too well because Jackson had blurted out that he loved him. Aaron hadn’t said it back, hadn’t been able to say it back. After everything he had been through in his life, he hadn’t been sure he knew what love was back then. When he’d told him that a few days later, out on a ride they took to try and patch things up between them, Jackson had told him that he would love someone one day and that he’d know when it happened. 

“You were right,” he whispered to the cold stone in front of him. 

Jackson had ridden off then and a fox had come racing out of the woods into the trail, spooking his horse and throwing him from the saddle. Aaron had watched in horror as his body had been flung into a tree and then landed with a sickening snap. He had been by his side in seconds but there was little he could do. Heaving him over the back of his own horse, he had taken him to local doctor but it was already too late. So he had sat with him, Jackson drifting in and out of consciousness, lucid for a few fleeting moments. He told him that he loved him, trying out the unfamiliar words to see how they sounded and he swore Jackson smiled at them, but he couldn’t be sure. After a few hours, he was gone and Aaron had descended into a dark place that he had only recently clawed his way out of. 

Paddy found him sometime later, sitting on the hard ground, knees pressed to his chest, chin resting on his hands, the tracks of his tears glistening in the moonlight. He sat down quietly beside him and rubbed a comforting hand in small circles on his back. They sat in silence for a long time before he spoke.

“You should tell him how you feel,” Paddy said gently. 

“Before he ends up like Jackson, you mean,” he half choked the words out. “Look what happens to the people I love!” 

“Aaron, what happened to Jackson was not your fault. You know that.” 

“Yeah, I do, but what if he doesn’t feel the same?”

“What if he does?” Paddy suggested. 

“He’s got his perfect little life. He doesn’t need me in it,” Aaron said, his voice thick with bitterness. “He’s got someone else, doesn’t he?” 

“And yet it’s you he’s spending all his time with,” Paddy pointed out. “What are you going to do?”

“Only really got two choices,” Aaron sighed. “Keep my mouth shut and let things continue as they are or tell him and risk ruining everything.” 

“It’ll work out, Aaron,” Paddy said, trying his best to reassure him. 

Aaron just shrugged, put a hand on Jackson’s headstone and then stood up. The tourney was only four days away now and he needed to sort this out fast because once the tourney was over, Robert would either be marrying Princess Christine or likely leaving the kingdom again. He couldn’t bare either of those options. Needing to think, he left Paddy and headed to the shop for some late night work on the armor. 

He worked out his frustrations planishing the breastplate with a flat hammer until he realized his nerves were causing him to hit the surface too hard and cause a dimpled effect. Breathing in deeply, he steadied himself and started again, letting the soft rhythm ease him into some sense of calm. Before long, the metal was smooth beneath his fingers as he cleaned the piece with a mixture of coal and linseed oil until it shone enough that he could see his reflection in it. He looked like a mess, his eyes still puffy with tears. Picking up the pauldrons next, he took out a small chisel and started to hammer in the details of the pineapple scales, allowing himself to smile as he finished each one and it grew closer to what he envisioned. By the time he left the shop and slipped back into the tavern, he was feeling almost okay again, though he hadn’t completely decided what he was going to do yet. Maybe, just maybe, Paddy was right though and he did feel the same. Aaron didn’t really do hope though. 

The next morning, he returned to the shop, getting to work on the details on the helmet, trying to curb the anxiety filled anticipation banging around inside of him as the hours of the day ticked by before he would head to their training session and see Robert again. He half hoped Robert would drop by with lunch for them again but he had only done that the one time. Instead, he focused on picking out more scales with the delicate chisel, the task keeping his mind from wandering. He knew he was being a bit of perfectionist about everything, but he wanted it to be perfect. Last night, seeing Holly, he had even decided on another special surprise for him and smiled to himself as he thought about what Robert would say when he saw it. He had dropped by the farm before work to ask her and she had been thrilled for the opportunity. Adam of course was nowhere to be found, but he was too distracted to sort that mess out just now. 

“Shouldn’t you be getting a shift on, Sunshine? Wouldn’t want to keep the Pineapple Prince waiting, would you?” Cain questioned as he was drawing out a strip of metal to make one of the leaves for the plume on top of the helmet. 

Looking up suddenly, he glanced out the window, noting the position of the sun in the sky. He had gotten so sucked into his work that he hadn’t realized what time it was. He was going to be late now. Slamming down the hammer, he cursed to himself and began frantically cleaning up his work station. He set down the unfinished helmet on his work table with the rest of the pieces. Altogether it was starting to actually look like something. He didn’t have time to stand there and admire it though as he picked up his pack and left the shop, seeing Cain standing over the table and chuckling to himself as he ducked out of the door. 

Robert was there waiting for him when he got there. “Sorry I’m late,” he called out as he jumped down from the saddle. 

“Makes no matter,” Robert grinned, coming toward him. “You’ll just have to give me a hand, get you out of that cloak and shirt a bit faster than usual.” His hands were already wrapped in the fabric of his hooded cloak and pulling him into the farmhouse. 

“Robert wait,” he said, splaying his hands across his chest to hold him off a bit. Robert ignored him mostly, leaning over his hands and trying to kiss him. Aaron pulled back, his lips just escaping untouched, even though they were desperate to be. “Don’t you think we should actually, you know, train? For once?” 

“Where’s the fun in that?” Robert quipped, still smiling. 

“Where’s the fun in you losing to your brother and having to leave Emmerdale again?” Aaron was desperate to at least have a chance to keep him around, even if he couldn’t properly vocalize it yet. 

“Well when you put it like that?” Robert sighed, the smile fading quickly from his face. Aaron was sad to see it go. 

The two of them worked hard that day, probably harder than they had ever worked before since Aaron was so determined and reminding Robert about Andy seemed to give him a renewed sense of purpose as well. The focused mostly on the broadsword, wrestling, the joust and of course the quarterstaff. Robert had long ago given up on the hammer throwing, saying it was a lost cause, and despite the confidence boost it gave him, Aaron wouldn’t let him work on his archery skills anymore either. It was getting dark earlier and earlier as autumn went on and it wasn’t long before the sun dipped completely beneath the horizon, leaving them in darkness. Normally Robert would have been riding away from him by now, but they were working on a few moves with the staff that the prince was bent on getting before they finished for the day. So instead of fumbling around in the dark, Aaron lit a few lanterns and placed them strategically around them so they could continue on. 

“You’ve still got that twitch,” Robert pointed out as he picked up his staff again. It always seemed to happen whenever he first held it after a while. 

“Just leave it,” Aaron growled, wanting to concentrate on the task at hand. Robert held his hands up in mock surrender and nodded for him to continue the lesson. “Right, so, hold it like you would a spear and–”

“Yeah, yeah, I got it,” Robert said, showing him the grip. “Just attack.” 

Aaron did as he was asked, coming at Robert with a grip in the center of the staff, both hands down, swinging it the way you might a paddle. The prince easily parried the first strike and then a second until Aaron switched his grip, one hand up and one down, to give him more versatility. He slid the staff back and forth between his hands, constantly changing grip and direction until he had backed Robert into a corner and the prince had retreated to holding his staff up parallel to him and just doing his best to block him. A few more parries and Robert pushed him back. Aaron was going to just let him do so as part of the exercise, but Robert hit him hard, making the staff rattle in his hands before he got a good grip on it again. Twice more they had the same exchange, each time, Aaron backing him up until all he could do was defend. Then they went through the exchange for a fourth time and without prompting him this time, instead of switching to hold the staff parallel to block, Robert swapped his grip, bringing the spear around in a wide arc and thrust it outward, knocking the end into Aaron’s stomach, perhaps a bit to hard. Aaron gasped for air as the blow from staff knocked it out of him, his body stumbling backwards and sprawling onto the ground. 

“Aaron!” Robert cried, dropping his staff and racing towards him in a panic. Aaron reached out a hand, hoping he would help him up, but he saw Robert’s eyes widen and then he recoiled in fear. “You’re...the...Aaron...the lantern...fire,” Robert could barely get the words out. 

Whipping his head around, he saw what Robert had seen and finally felt it. “Ahh!” He shouted, pulling back from the flames that were spreading across the grass and climbing up his arm. When he had fallen, he must have knocked one of the lanterns over. Rolling across the ground, he put the fire on his sleeve out and then jumped up to stamp out the rest. He looked to Robert for help but he had retreated into the shadows, useless. When he found him after, he was sitting on the ground, leaning against the side of the farmhouse with his head in his hands, muttering to himself. 

Aaron crouched down in front of him and rested his hands on Robert’s knees. The prince started at the contact and looked up at him, eyes filled with tears. “You’re...you’re alright?” he asked, his voice shaking. 

“Robert, I’m fine,” he assured him, pulling back his singed sleeve. He knew the skin of his arm was red in places and he could feel the heat emanating from it, but they weren’t bad burns. He had bad burns and knew what those felt like. “What happened back there?”

“I’m sorry, Aaron, I couldn’t,” Robert sobbed. He had never seen him like this. The prince was always so confident and sure of himself, except after that first time they kissed, but this was different from that, a different kind of fear. 

“It’s okay,” Aaron squeezed his shoulder. “Come on, let’s get you inside.” 

He let him go into the farmhouse, while he put out the lanterns outside. Robert wouldn’t even go near them. When he went in, he suggested tea, but that would have meant lighting a fire in the hearth and Robert seemed to be completely done with fire. Instead, they went upstairs and sat on the bed they had made their own. Silence surrounded them, heavy with the secrets they both harbored. 

“My mum,” Robert finally said, resting his chin on his knees and hugging his legs to his chest. He looked so young and vulnerable in that moment. “She died in a fire,” he whispered into the darkness. 

“I didn’t know,” Aaron said, unsure of what he really could say to that. 

“I was there.” Robert’s voice was hoarse, thick with tears. 

“Is that…” Aaron started, unsure if he wanted to bring it up. “Is that where you got that burn on your shoulder?” He had seen it enough times now and had always wondered, comparing it to his own. 

Robert nodded, biting at his lip like Aaron always did. “It was Andy that did it,” he said and Aaron breathed out a barely audible ‘what?!’ in reaction. “She and my father were having a problems and she had started having an affair with the stable master, Richie.”

There was so much bitterness in the way he said his name. Aaron just remained quiet, wanting to let him talk. 

“Andy and I found out and were both fed up with it, not wanting our family to be ripped apart. My father found out as well and wanted her to leave. She wanted to take us with her and I wanted to go but my father was the king and he couldn’t have that kind of a scandal. Andy took things too far, taking matters into his own hands. He followed Richie to an old abandoned stable on the grounds and set it alight. What he didn’t realize was that he had been meeting my mother there…”

“Oh…” Aaron gasped, “Robert…”

He wiped furiously at the tears that streamed down his face. “I had followed Andy. We were still friends in those days, despite my father’s obvious preference for him over me. When we realized what had happened–” He paused and choked out another sob. “I can still hear her screams, Aaron.” Aaron reached out a tentative hand and took Robert’s hand in his. “We tried to get her out, but we couldn’t. Richie got out though,” he sneered. 

“What happened then?” Aaron couldn’t help himself but ask. No one spoke about Queen Sarah in town, not anymore, not to him anyway. He wished that he had known. 

“My father was furious. At the end of the day, he had still loved her, always will I suspect. He blamed Richie for it and was all set to hang him for murder but then he told him that Andy was behind it.”

Aaron scrunched up his face, trying to work everything out. 

“Exactly,” Robert sighed, like he was resigned to it all now. “It was an accident and he couldn’t let anything happen to his precious Andy, so he had to silence Richie.” 

“Silence?”

“Hanged him for treason, or murder, which is what everyone else thought,” Robert explained. 

“God, Robert,” Aaron said in disbelief, trying to imagine him having to live side by side with Andy afterwards. It was no wonder he hated him. Of course the rumors would make it seem like he had done more than enough in retaliation to make Andy hate him as well, but at least he was starting to understand what made him tick more. 

“Aaron?” Robert asked as silence settled over them again. “Can you tell me about the quarterstaff?” 

“Robert…” he started, not wanting to get into it. Robert had just told him something deeply personal though and he sort of felt like he had to reciprocate. “I used to be a squire,” he said quietly. 

“Okay.” Robert placed his other hand over Aaron’s and gave it a squeeze. It was still wet with wiped away tears. 

He took a deep breath, blowing it out again slowly. “The knight, he hurt me…”

“Hurt you?” What do you mean he hurt you?”

Another deep breath. “He raped me,” he said the words for the first time in a long time. It didn’t hurt as much as it used to and there was a strange sense of peace in that. “He was teaching me to use a quarterstaff the last time it happened.”

“The last time?” 

Aaron just nodded. He didn’t really want to get into it more than that. 

“God, Aaron, I’m so sorry. Look, we don’t have to work with it anymore,” Robert squeezed his hand a little bit tighter as he sat there, thinking everything over. His eyes widened suddenly and he looked terrified. “And now you’re my squire and I...if I forced–”

Aaron took his free hand and put it to Robert’s lips to quiet him. “Except I wanted you to kiss me,” he reassured him. “Since the moment I saw you. Still do.” 

Robert smiled behind his finger and then kissed it softly before pushing it away and leaning in to brush his lips against Aaron’s, kissing him properly. It was slower, more tender than their usual kisses. They were both emotionally exhausted as well as physically from a hard day of training but they needed to be close to one another. Robert undid the laces on his tunic with the deftness of practice and pulled it up over his head, kissing into his neck and the hollow of his collarbone. Aaron lay down underneath him and Robert continued down his chest and stomach like he had so many times before but then he stopped. Aaron looked up to find him examining the burns across his stomach. 

“I don’t want to ruin the moment, but…” 

They had already shared so much of themselves tonight but Aaron figured he owed him some kind of explanation. “I thought he had made me the way I was, my- the knight. I had a hard time accepting how I felt about Jackson. It was how I coped and again after he died.”

“Aaron?” 

“I don’t do it anymore. Honest. The only thing the hot chisel touches is metal now,” Aaron tried to make it into a joke to lighten the mood. “You’re armor’s coming along great by the way.” 

Robert sensed he wanted to move on because he smiled at that comment.

“You’ll make for a very shiny pineapple at the tourney,” Aaron grinned at him. “So that’s why you said you always had to work so hard at everything in your life?” Aaron said suddenly, remembering their conversation from yesterday.

“Robert huffed out a laugh. “Part of it. Andy’s always had it easy. My father preferred him to me the moment he came into our lives, the moment I brought him into our lives. He was the son he always wanted and I, well, I had to break through the skin of a pineapple to get anywhere.” 

Aaron shook his head, laughing at him. 

“No, look, the analogy works, okay,” Robert protested. “See, Andy’s life is like...an apple or something. Simple, basic and it’s easy to eat. There’s no skin to peel, there’s no tough exterior to cut through.” 

“And it doesn’t fall far from the tree?” Aaron said with a smirk. 

“Fine,” Robert pouted. 

Aaron propped himself up on his elbows and bit at his lip. “So what kind of fruit am I?” He asked cheekily. 

Robert just rolled his eyes and put his hand over Aaron’s mouth. “Shhh,” he hissed and then replaced his hand with his lips. 

After, they lay there in each other’s arms, neither one of them wanting to leave to go back to their lives. Aaron felt content for the first time in a long time, his head resting on Robert’s shoulder, tracing the freckles on his chest. Every so often the prince would laugh when he reached a ticklish area. He felt so close to him right now after everything they had shared earlier and he found his mind drifting back to Paddy’s advice. ‘You should tell him how you feel,” he had said. If there was a right time to do it, he figured it was now. He drew in a deep breath, gathering his courage. 

“What is it?” Robert asked, sensing the change in him. 

“Please don’t marry her Robert,” he blurted out before had a chance to talk himself out of it. 

“What?” Robert sat up and looked down at him in shock. 

“Don’t marry her, the princess…Christine...Chrissie,” he begged him.

“I know who you mean, Aaron, but, where’s all this coming from?” Robert asked, the gentle voice he reserved for him replaced by a much harsher tone. 

“Every day I watch you leave and go back to her after we spend half the day together-”

“Training.”

“Having sex,” Aaron corrected him. “I watch you go back to her and I thought I could handle it but I was wrong.”

“I’m sorry,” Robert said, but the apology was nowhere near sincere. 

“Sorry you can’t call it off?” Aaron asked, hopeful anyway. 

“Sorry you can’t accept this for what it is,” Robert said, inching away from him on his knees, his voice colder somehow. This is why Aaron didn’t do hope. “Look, I don’t want this to end either, but–”

“But once you win that tourney you’re going to marry her,” Aaron could hear the pitiful pleading in his voice and he hated it. 

“I have to,” Robert said firmly.

“You don’t have to do anything,” Aaron almost whined. God, what am I doing? He berated himself.

“Why Aaron?” Robert shouted at him, exasperated. 

Now or never. “Because I love you, that’s why, and I think you feel the same.” 

Aaron watched Robert’s face fall at the words, his eyes growing wide, his mouth gaping open. He wondered if that’s what his face looked like when Jackson had confessed his love to him. Probably. The prince shifted back on his heels, rubbing at his face with his hands. He looked conflicted and that pesky kernel of hope wedged its way into his mind again. 

“I love Chrissie,” Robert said finally. 

Aaron snorted out a laugh and pushed himself up from the bed, his whole body burning with shame. How could he have been so wrong about this? Robert stared at him as he paced the room, pulling on an item or two of clothing on each pass until he was fully dressed and standing at the door. 

“I have to marry her, Aaron. I thought you understood that,” Robert tried to explain but Aaron didn’t want to hear it. 

He shook his head sadly and fled the room, thundering down the creaking wooden stairs with tears in his eyes. When he reached Clyde, he didn’t think he had it in him to ride, not after everything, so he just took his reins in his hands and led him away from the farm. Tommy neighed softly as they parted and Aaron felt his sadness, understanding. Hope and him were no longer on speaking terms.


	10. Chapter Ten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robert makes a choice about Chrissie and Aaron.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So once again this chapter took me forever to get up and it's not as long as the others. Sorry. Thanks for all of the continued support, kudos and comments though!
> 
> Also...I promise chapter eleven will be happier.

A trencher of roast mutton was set down in front of him at the high table in the great hall. His father had actually come down for an early supper, looking a little brighter and stronger today than he had recently. Robert sawed at the meat with his knife until he had a piece small enough to chew. He stuck his fork in it but he didn't bring it to his mouth. He wasn't hungry. His stomach rumbled but he felt sick not half starved like he probably should have been. After all, he hadn't eaten since before he left for training.

Stabbing at the meat again, he cursed under his breath. He had waited at the farmhouse for hours, just praying that Aaron would show up but he never did. Tears pricked his eyes when he thought about Aaron running out on him the night before but he blinked them away. He wasn't about to sit here and cry over his supper in front of his family. The day hadn't been a complete waste. He had trained anyway, sort of. He had shot arrows at the target for nearly an hour just to spite Aaron who wouldn't let him practice anymore. He had thrown some horseshoes just for the hell of it. It was still a ridiculous event. He had even picked up the hammer and hoped his anger and frustration were enough to give him more strength. That strategy failed miserably. 

Finally, he had picked up the quarterstaff, spun it around a few times and then he had thrown it across the field like a javelin. Staring at where it had landed a pitiful distance away, he had gone, picked it up and tried to break it over his knee, which was still sore. Eventually he had just slammed it into the ground, screaming obscenities at it until he felt slightly better, or had at least tired himself out. If anyone had seen him, they would have thought he was mad. He was mad, furious even. He hated thinking about what that knight had done to Aaron. Aaron who loved him. Aaron who had held him while he cried in his arms over his mother. Aaron who made him laugh. Aaron who made him feel more than he had in a long time. Aaron who made him into a liar again as he swore to him that he loved Chrissie. She sat beside him now and he hardly felt a thing. Still, she smiled at him, while Lawrence glared at him from one end of the long table, reminding him of everything he could do to him if he screwed this all up. Aaron didn't understand. He had to marry her, whether he wanted to or not.

“...surprised to see you're actually here, Robert, and not off messing about at Wylie's,” Katie's grating voice pulled him back into the present, the piece of mutton still skewered by his fork and going uneaten. 

He had missed a lot of family meals because of his training with Aaron, because of his flirting with Aaron, because of his sleeping with Aaron. Tonight though, he was here, because after a few hours of waiting, he had finally accepted that Aaron wasn't going to show up and he had slunk back to the castle, defeated.

“Sorry my training schedule has put a damper on your family meal time, Katie,” he said bitterly. “I know how much you miss me when I'm not here.” He couldn't help himself but shoot a look Andy's way. His problems with Aaron were putting him on edge and he was a little scared he'd be worse than usual with this lot. 

“I hope the training is going well,” Vic interjected, trying to ease the already mounting tensions at the table. Her words asked him how the training was going, but her eyes and the look she gave him asked him how things were going with Aaron. He still wasn’t exactly sure how much she knew and it unnerved him, not wanting anyone else at the table to find out. 

“Fine,” he said as a shiver ran down his spine when Chrissie’s hand slotted into his and gave him a little squeeze. His first instinct was to pull away, but he knew that wouldn’t go over well so he forced himself to leave his hand there, even though it only added to the nauseous feeling in his stomach.

“I’m pleased to see that you’re taking this opportunity seriously, Robert, both of you.”

Robert’s eyes snapped toward his father at the head of the table, watching his lips move as he said the words that sounded dangerously close to praise. Of course he had to sour the statement by lumping Andy in there as well, but still, it was something. He savored the sentiment more than the untouched meat in front of him. 

“Serious!” Andy’s voice boomed, ruining the moment. “I’ve been training. He’s been playing at being a knight with the blacksmith’s apprentice!”

Robert gritted his teeth and the belittling statement, not failing to notice that he had downgraded Aaron’s title. He could say what he wanted about him, there was little he could do to stop him, but not Aaron. Never Aaron. Besides, he had seen the work he was doing on his armor and it was definitely not the work of an apprentice. He said as much. “He’s not an apprentice.” 

Andy ignored him and Katie took it upon herself to fill the silence. “Probably not even training at all. Probably meeting some lass from town and having his royal way with her. Sorry Princess Christine, but he does have form.” Katie smiled. She wasn’t sorry at all. 

It’s not that she was all that far off, but she didn’t understand. He wanted to hurt her back. “You would know,” he sneered. He and Aaron had erased her from that room though and he felt good about that. 

“Deflection. Smart Robert,” Katie laughed it off. “Trying to put the focus on someone other than yourself. You’d better keep an eye on him, Chrissie.” 

Robert let his fork fall to the plate with a loud clang and looked at Chrissie whose hand was clenched tight around his. “She doesn’t know what she’s talking about,” he offered, trying to remain calm. 

“No, no I know,” Chrissie sighed and released the death grip on his hand a bit, color bleeding back into her knuckles. “I trust you.” 

Katie laughed again. “Found yourself a gullible one, did you Robert?” she scoffed. 

“I WILL NOT HAVE MY DAUGHTER SPOKEN OF THAT WAY!” Lawrence roared.

“Yes,” Jack said quietly from the other end of the table. “That is enough. All of you.” 

“Come on, Chrissie,” Lawrence urged. “We don’t need to put up with this. We’ll sup on our own from now on.” The foreign king rose from his seat and brought Chrissie to her feet with strong hands about her shoulders. “Robert,” he looked at him sternly, the question clear in his eyes. Did he go with them and prove his loyalty to Lawrence or did he stay with his family?

He just sat there instead, his mind muddled, the only thing making sense now was Aaron. His mouth opened like he was going to speak but no words actually came out. Lawrence put a hand to the shoulder he had hit the other day and gave him a good squeeze, letting him know that he was treading on dangerous ground. Robert still couldn’t move. He knew, regardless, Lawrence still needed him for this alliance to happen. 

“Disappointing two families at once,” Katie said the moment the echo from the door slamming shut had quieted. “Well done Robert!”

Her cheerful tone made him grip on to the handle of his knife tightly. He had half a mind to pull it from the flesh of his mutton and stab her with it right then and there. Instead, he decided on violently pushing his chair back from the table, legs scraping against the floor and filling the hall with the echoes of his anger. 

“At least I have two families,” he sneered at the same time he felt the regret bubbling in the pit of his stomach. 

He stormed out of the hall to avoid seeing her reaction. It was a low blow, not that her’s hadn’t been. Katie’s father had been killed several years back and her mother was off who knew where. He knew he shouldn’t have said it the moment the words left his mouth but it was too late. Hands clenching into fists at his sides, he struggled with where to go. Chrissie would probably be back in their rooms so he couldn't go there. He couldn't face her or Lawrence right now, because Katie wasn't wrong, not really, and he didn't feel up to lying to her face just now. She would probably want to have sex to, to prove a point and he didn't feel up to that either. They hadn't really been together since he took up with Aaron properly. It had only been a few days but she was starting to notice. 

Deciding on the stables, he found Tommy in his stall. The white horse looked excited for a moment, his head bobbing up and down, but once he realized that they weren't going anywhere, a sort of melancholy settled over him like a fog. He was hoping to go see Clyde, Robert realized. He put his hands on either side of Tommy's head and brought their foreheads together for a moment. 

“Quite a pair we are,” he murmured. “At least we've got each other.”

“Oh pet,” he heard the voice behind him and turned slowly to see Diane standing there in the door to Tommy's stall. Diane wasn't his mother but he was quite fond of her. “You've got us too, you know.”

“Do I?” He asked, the words struggling to come out over the lump in his throat. 

She came further into the stall and placed a hand on his good shoulder. He leaned into the touch, wanting to feel safe. 

“You know me,” she said, “I don't like to take sides between you and your brother…”

“But you will anyway. Andy's always been the golden boy, why should that change now that I'm back?”

“What you said to Katie…”

He sighed. He knew that wasn't a smart move. “And what she said to me?”

“You're all as bad as each other,” she scolded him like a proper mother. 

“Well at least we're even in that then,” Robert said through gritted teeth, keeping a hand on Tommy's neck to calm himself. 

“What happened Robert?”

“How do you mean?”

“These past few days, you've seemed happier, lighter even. Less of that chip on your shoulder that you're usually hauling around. Today you seem to be right back to how you were when you first got here.”

He didn't say anything, couldn't, not without explaining the real reason why. 

“I had a chat with Victoria,” she started, searching his eyes. 

Oh God! The lump in his throat grew larger, threatening to strangle him if he tried to speak. He just nodded. 

“I don't condone it,” she said and his heart leapt into his throat as well, “what you're doing to Princess Christine.”

He took a shallow breath and tried not to betray his internal panic. 

“But I liked seeing you happier,” she said with a smile of her own and then added, “Just don't string her along. Or her father for that manner. Frightening man!”

He nodded again and she gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze before she left the stall, heading back out of the stables and toward the castle. Swallowing hard, he held onto Tommy to keep himself from collapsing. She knew. He felt sort of sick. She had encouraged it though, Aaron, without actually saying his name. All he wanted right now was to see him, hear that laugh of his as that gorgeous smile of his spread across his face, drown in his blue eyed gaze. Unfortunately, the only image of him that he could call to mind was the sad shake of his head and the tears in his eyes as he left the room last night. Diane wasn't wrong about Chrissie and Lawrence either but he figured he'd better see if he could salvage things with Aaron first before he burned both bridges. 

“Come on, boy,” he said to Tommy as he draped the saddle across his back, “let's go find Aaron.” Tommy gave his head an excited shake and so he added, “yes, and Clyde too.”

It was getting late now, the sun having gone down hours ago. He rode by the shop first and frowned when he didn't see the familiar glow of the forge inside. The tavern was his next stop, though the thought of having it out with the local blacksmith in the local tavern wasn't exactly high on his to do list. He would do it for Aaron though. It's not like he wasn't always the subject of the gossips anyway. Might as well make it a bit easier for them. Still, as he tied Tommy up outside, he pulled up the hood of his cloak. 

Inside, the tavern was dimly lit, the fires in the hearth giving the great room a warm orange glow. He kept his head slightly bowed as he glanced around, looking for a black cloak and hair slathered in wax, hoping to find a pair of blue eyes looking back at him. Today really wasn't his day. He went up to the bar instead where a woman with wild brown curls leaned against the counter conversing with the bald man, Robert knew to be the horse doctor. Making a sound low in his throat, he got her attention. 

“Sorry, love,” Chas said as she came over. “What can I get you?”

Lifting his head slightly, he let her see his face. “I'm looking for Aaron,” he said quietly. 

“Oh it's you,” she said, her voice thick with bitterness when she recognized him. 

Robert was taken slightly aback by her tone. “Is he here or not?” he matched it. 

“Not,” she said, looking at him with a cold glare. “Not that it’s any of your business.”

“Not my business? He is my squire. We’re training together,” he hissed at her and then took a step back, inhaling a deep breath to calm down. Getting angry at Aaron’s mother was not what he intended when he came in here. 

“Not anymore you’re not,” Chas informed him. “It’s too much for him. I don’t think any of this is a good idea. Didn’t think so from the start. Being a squire again…” She trailed off and Robert knew what she was getting at. 

“Yeah, he told me,” he admitted, hoping that might make her soften toward him. 

Her eyes widened. “He told you about his father? He doesn’t talk to anyone about that.” 

Now it was Robert’s turn to be shocked. “Father? He told me about the knight he squired for...and what he did to him.” Reading the expression on her face told him everything he needed to know. He couldn’t believe that a father could do that to their child. His stomach turned at the thought. All he wanted to do was find Aaron and make everything better. 

“I don’t want him getting hurt anymore than he already has. Just stay away from him...your grace,” she punctuated his title to make sure he was getting the message and then added, “if you can.” 

He forced one of his patented smug grins onto his face, going against muscles that only wanted to frown. “He’s not that irresistible,” he made himself say. That was a lie and he knew it. She didn’t have a clue what Aaron meant to him. He was beginning to realize that he was everything. 

“Glad to hear it,” she returned the false smile. “After what he told me about you two, I wasn’t sure you’d listen.” 

Robert gulped. “He told you about us?” he blurted out before he could stop himself. 

Chas smiled a real smile now. “Well, no, not exactly, but you just did.” 

Shit! “I-I…” He wasn’t exactly sure what he was trying to say. Words were escaping him at the moment. Between Victoria, Diane, probably Adam and now Chas, too many people knew. Squirming uncomfortably where he stood, he gripped onto the counter to steady himself. 

“Just promise me you’ll stay away,” Chas reiterated. “He came back so upset yesterday and I’ve hardly seen him today, but when I did…I just worry about him, spending all of that time locked away in the shop...with the forge...” 

She was rambling now, but Robert thought about the burns across Aaron’s stomach and now he was worried too. Aaron had told him that was how he coped when he was upset and while he swore he wasn’t doing it anymore, that was before. Robert allowed himself to frown now, the mask falling from his face as he again recalled the image of Aaron shaking his head and shutting the door behind him as he fled the room. He didn’t want to hurt him, but he knew that he was. Chas was right, but Diane was too. He couldn’t string Chrissie along if he wanted to be with Aaron, and if he did want to honor his alliance with King Lawrence, then he couldn’t string Aaron along. He needed to make a choice and let one of them go. 

Thoughts of supper flooded his mind as well, reminding him of what a screw up he actually was. He knew that he would hurt Aaron eventually. It was inevitable with him and he couldn’t bare the thought. He also knew that the alliance was integral to his father agreeing to this tourney in the first place. Breaking it now and telling him he wanted to be with the town blacksmith instead was not even a remote possibility. His father would never understand. Robert sighed, knowing what he had to do. 

“Well?” Chas prompted him.

“I promise,” he whispered.


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aaron confronts Robert about his feelings, seeking the truth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And it took me a week to finish another chapter. What a surprise. It's another decently long one though.

Clang!

The head of the hammer came down hard on the glowing steel, sparks flying off in every direction. ‘I love Chrissie,’ the voice repeated in his head again. Aaron gripped the handle harder, his hands sweating inside his leather gloves. 

Clang!

He tried to push all of his anger through the wooden handle and out through heavy iron head, into the hot metal of the sword. Again and again and again he pounded away at it, the sharp sounds of his frustration stinging his ears as unwanted tears leaked from his eyes. All the while, he just kept hearing that phrase over and over again. He held the sword in place by the hilt, periodically glancing at the ornate pineapple pommel he had designed. Absently, he found himself wondering if he was part of that hard scaly exterior that Robert had to break through or if he were the juicy center he was trying to get to. He laughed bitterly at himself through the clangs of his hammer strokes, not believing that he was starting to use his stupid metaphor. 

Another sound caught his ear and he looked up to see Cain standing there before him, wry amusement playing in his eyes. “What?” Aaron growled at him.

Cain’s eyes widened at his tone and then narrowed when he saw the tears on his face. “That pineapple bastard do something to upset you or something?”

Aaron just shook his head, not wanting to get into it. 

“Cause I can take care of him for you, if you like,” Cain offered and Aaron could see him clenching his hands into fists at his sides. 

“Right,” he scoffed, “in your secret life as an assassin.” He said it as a joke but he knew Cain would do it if he asked. The Dingles always looked after their own. Besides, he was still almost certain he had killed Gordon, though he had never wanted to ask for sure. 

Cain just stared at him hard and Aaron knew he was considering it, working out logistics in his head. He sighed. He didn't want Robert dead, far from it. All he wanted was for him to tell him the truth. Maybe he could use Cain for that. He grinned slightly at the thought, still under the watchful eye of his uncle. 

“Just leave it,” he said firmly, leaving no room for argument. 

“Fine,” Cain agreed, throwing his hands up in mock surrender, “but if you ever change your mind, Sunshine-”

“Don't you have some work to do? You have Prince Andrew’s new gauntlets to finish right?”

Aaron brought his hammer down again as he watched his uncle grumble and go back to his work table. The thought of Prince Andrew only made him angrier and all he could think about was Robert crying in his arms over his mother. He had taken her from him and whether it had been an accident or not, he knew Robert still felt betrayed and that broke his heart. The fact that he had confided in him like that said something too. Aaron was almost positive he had never told anyone else that whole story, not even Chrissie. For him, trust meant everything and he wanted that to be the same for Robert, because if it was then perhaps he did have feelings for him. After all, he never said he didn't, only that he loved her and had to marry her. 

It wasn't that Aaron didn't get it on some level. When he was coming to terms with how he felt for Jackson, he had had to come to terms that he wouldn't ever be doing the whole wife and kids thing like everyone else. For a prince, and one that wanted to be king, that would be difficult. As much as he understood it though, he still didn't want it to be true. It wasn't fair. He needed to know how Robert felt, needed to look him in the eyes and ask him straight. In all of their training together, and other activities, he had learned to read him pretty well. 

He glanced out at the sun outside the window of the shop. It was nearly time for training. He hadn't been sure he was going to go but he had made up his mind now; he needed to see him. Cooling the sword in water, he set it down on the work table, the rest of the armor laid out. The job was nearly done and he was proud of himself despite everything else that was going wrong. Nodding a goodbye to Cain, he went outside and found Clyde, already anxious. He hoped he would get to see Tommy today. They had seen him yesterday. 

Aaron had gone to Wylie's, watching from a safe distance away as Robert had come riding up on the white horse. He hadn't been ready to talk to him yet so he had just stayed in the shadows and observed. When he had gotten out his bow and arrow, Aaron had been sure he was just doing it to spite him, but as time passed, he could see how the repeated motion seemed to calm him. His body had been tense when he arrived, but after his archer session, he had seen his shoulders visibly relax. After, he had thrown a few horseshoes and Aaron watched the quick juddering motion of his shoulders and knew that he was laughing. He never could wrap his mind around horseshoes as a legitimate event. When he had picked up the hammer, Aaron saw all of the tension in his body return, though whether it was from the stress of their current situation or his frustration as he tried his best to hurl the hammer across the field, he couldn’t be sure. 

It wasn’t until Robert had picked up the quarterstaff that he was sure that he was thinking about him. Aaron had watched him try his hardest to throw it through the air like a spear but it hadn’t gone any further than the hammer. When he picked it up again though, he did something Aaron didn’t expect. Crying out a wordless scream, he had tried to break the staff over his knee, crumpling to the ground in pain when he failed. He had taken a few moments, just kneeling there, rubbing at his likely reddening skin, before he stood up again. Aaron saw him slam the end of the quarterstaff into the earth and just start cursing it. He couldn’t hear every word, but he heard his name more than once. The desire to go to him then was strong, but he had held back, not ready then. He was ready now, he decided. He just needed Robert to show up again. After yesterday, he wasn’t sure he was going to, but if he did Aaron would take it as a good sign. 

Pulling Clyde to a stop in front of the farmhouse, he jumped down from the saddle. His eyes traveled swiftly across the fields, looking for any sign of Robert but there were none. He dropped his chin to his chest and sighed. He was late and all as well. Sitting down on the steps, he propped up his chin on his hands, elbows resting on his knees and waited. Clyde paced the patch of grass in front of the house restlessly until he finally came back to him and nudged his nose into his forehead. Aaron looked up him and forced a smile, reaching into his bag and pulling out an apple for him. He should really eat himself, but he wasn’t hungry. Clyde took the apple from his hand, inhaling it with a few sloppy bites. If nothing more happened with Robert, at least he had gotten Clyde out of the arrangement and he had gotten the courage to ride again. He would always be grateful for that. 

After about an hour passed, he stood up from the steps, his legs stiff from sitting too long. If Robert hadn’t arrived by now, he wasn’t going to. Aaron had to accept that as much as he didn’t want to. He could hardly blame him, he supposed, after he hadn’t shown up yesterday. Returning to the shop, he silenced Cain with a hard glare and got back to work, not about to waste the day completely. In the end, he was quite productive, finishing the sword, chiseling out the rest of the details on the armor, cobbling together a few pineapple shaped lance tips. All that really needed doing now, was a bit of polish. 

He looked up when he was done and realized that Cain had left hours ago and that the sun had long since disappeared below the horizon, only moonlight drifting in through the windows. Now that he had stopped, he suddenly realized just how tired he was, his limbs feeling heavy and leaden, his eyelids drooping down, making his vision blur. Grabbing at his stomach as he heard it growl, he remembered that he hadn’t eaten anything that day, his mind had been too consumed to think about food. He sighed, pulling off his thick leather gloves and rubbing at his eyes until they started to clear. Cleaning and closing up the shop took longer than he thought it would with his sluggishness, but eventually he was on his way back to the tavern, letting Clyde do all of the work. He knew the way. 

Only the regulars were left when he dragged himself into the common room, noting the king’s fool, slumped over the bar, mumbling incoherently. He pulled up a stool at the counter and lay his head down in his hands. The sound of his mother’s voice drifted in from the back as she came through into the room. He could practically hear her silent worry as he felt her eyes on him without looking up. 

“You look exhausted, love,” she said. 

“Feel that way too,” he said, not moving his head. 

“Training too hard?” she probed and he could hear hope in her tone, which confused his already addled mind. 

He looked up at her then to find her studying him as he thought she would be. “No,” he mumbled.

“Oh?” she pushed further like she was searching for a specific answer. 

“Didn’t show, did he?” Aaron couldn’t help the anger from seeping into his voice. 

“Really?” she said, sounding quite pleased with herself. “Didn’t think he’d actually listen. Imagine, a prince actually taking orders from the likes of me. Mind you, he’s hardly a prince–”

“You what?” Aaron stopped her rambling. 

She looking at him as if remembering he was actually still there. “Oh love, you just seemed to be hurting so much yesterday and the day before so when he came in here looking for you, I told him he should do you a favor and leave you alone before he hurt you anymore. Told him it was all too much for you.” 

“He came here looking for me and you sent him away?” He couldn’t actually believe what he was hearing. 

“It’s for the best, son. You deserve better than Prince Robert anyway,” she tried to reassure him but Aaron wasn’t having any of it. “Now, Marlon has left for the night, but there’s still some of his beef stew leftover. Let me get you a bowl.” 

“Don’t bother,” he snarled and stood up, nearly knocking the stool down. “Going to Paddy’s, don’t wait up,” he added as he stormed out. 

Outside, he swung up into Clyde’s saddle again and took off through the darkened streets. At least if he went straight to Paddy’s, his mother would leave him be, for the night. Otherwise, she would have sent the horse doctor out after him anyway. He let out a grunt of frustration when he thought about her telling Robert to leave him alone. She had no right to do that. Robert had come to find him after he hadn’t shown up for their training session though. He tried to focus on that. If he came to the tavern looking for him, chanced dealing with his mother, then that must mean that he cared about him in some way. He needed to go and see him, but he knew he needed to calm down a little first and Paddy was always good for that. 

There was an inviting glow coming from inside Paddy’s cottage when Aaron tugged on Clyde’s reins to bring him to a stop. Tying up the horse, he entered without knocking, knowing Paddy wouldn’t mind, only to be greeted by an apple flying at his head. He threw up a hand to block it, his reflexes faster these days after having done so much training. The half rotted piece of fruit tumbled to the floor with a splat. 

“Oh now look what you’ve done!” Aaron looked up from the apple to see Marlon standing there holding two more apples in his hands as he dropped them to his sides, looking rather defeated. 

“What? Defending myself from a fruit attack a crime now?” he scoffed as he eased himself further into the room. 

“B-better c-call the King’s Justice,” Paddy laughed from the chair he sat in by the fire. 

“You what?” Aaron folded his arms across his chest. “Sorry, what is he even doing?” 

“Preparing his audition,” Paddy tried to explain. 

“Do you want to hear a joke?” Marlon asked and opened his mouth to start.

“Audition for what?” Aaron cut in before he could get another word out. 

Paddy shifted in his chair to face him. “The King is holding a competition at the tourney to find a new court jester, since Sandy is really too old these days.”

“Too drunk, more like,” Aaron recalled the old man slumped over the bar in the tavern. He was there more nights than not. “And what do you want to be a jester for, anyway? Suddenly cooking in my mum’s kitchen not good enough for you?”

“It’s the castle kitchen’s he’s got his eye on,” Paddy told him, while Marlon glared at him. Paddy just shrugged back. 

“And being the King’s Fool helps you how?” 

“Thought it’d help me get a foot in the door at least...so to speak. I love working at the tavern, you know I do, but I’ve got a daughter to think about now,” Marlon tried to justify it. 

“Right,” Aaron mumbled, annoyed that he’d be leaving his mother in the lurch if he won this ridiculous contest. And Robert thought horseshoes were silly. Thinking about Robert made him remember why he was there in the first place. “Shouldn’t you be home with that daughter now?” 

“Alright, I can take a hint,” Marlon sighed and tossed the other apples to Paddy who fumbled with one while the other fell to the floor with another splat. The other soon followed. “Well we know you won’t be any competition then, don’t we?” He laughed as Paddy scrambled to pick up the apples. 

“Night!” Paddy called out as Marlon awkwardly ducked his tall frame through the door and headed out. When the door closed behind him, Paddy turned back to Aaron. “And what brings you here tonight?”

“You know she told him to stay away from me?” he blurted out. 

“Who?” 

“Robert!” he was exasperated now, pacing about the room. 

“Sit down, will you. You’re making me nervous,” Paddy pleaded with him. He sat down opposite him, his right knee jittering up and down. “Now, now, t-tell me what happened.” 

“Robert came to the tavern looking for me yesterday after I didn’t show up for training and my mum told him to stay away from me, apparently.” 

“Sorry, sorry, w-why didn’t you go to training?” Paddy asked. 

Aaron froze for a moment, trying to decide whether or not he really wanted to tell Paddy anything. 

“Y-you told him, didn’t you, h-how you felt.”

He nodded. 

“And he didn’t say it back?” Paddy guessed. 

He stood up from the chair, determined. “I need to see him.” 

“Tonight?!” Paddy exclaimed. “What are you going to do, throw rocks at his fancy tower window until he comes down to talk to you?” 

“What?” Aaron was caught off guard by the suggestion. “No.” Truthfully, he didn’t really have a plan. He just knew that he needed to see him. 

“L-look, stay here tonight, get some sleep and go in the morning when you have a clear head,” Paddy urged him. 

Aaron sat back down, staring at the rotting apples in Paddy’s arms. His stomach growled again. 

“I’ll get you something to eat first,” Paddy grinned at him, patting his stomach. Aaron squirmed away from the touch but let a small smile grace his face anyway. 

Sunlight streamed through the small window, prying open his sleep crusted eyes as he lay there on the old straw mattress on the rickety frame of the bed in the room he used to stay in when he first came to Emmerdale. It felt familiar if not comfortable and that soothed him slightly, along with the sounds of Paddy pottering around the kitchen downstairs. Stretching, he climbed out of bed and sleepily found his way to the washroom where he found a bath already drawn for him. Paddy had been busy then. He looked down at himself, still covered in soot and coal from the shop and figured he ought to at least make himself somewhat presentable. 

Washed and dressed again, no wax in his hair because he didn't have any with him and Robert didn't like it anyway, he descended the staircase, the creaking of the old wood announcing his presence long before he reached the bottom. Paddy looked up at him as he entered the kitchen, bread and cheese and fruit spread out on the table before him. He gestured for him to sit and Aaron tried to shrug him off but Paddy wouldn't let him leave without eating. He and his mother had that in common though Aaron was better at dodging her. 

“Can't have you galavanting off to the castle without a proper breakfast, now can I?” Paddy chirped at him, his voice going higher with each word. 

“Did you really just say ‘galavanting’?” Aaron grumbled as he sat down and picked up a piece of bread, dipping it into a pot of jam also on the table. 

“Yeah, sorry,” Paddy sighed sitting across from him. “So, what are you going to do then?”

“Dunno,” Aaron said honestly as he shoved the bread in his mouth, taking too big of a bite so he could spend longer chewing and avoid the question. 

“Just be careful, yeah,” Paddy said. “If it doesn't work out, I don't want-”

“I'll be fine Paddy,” he said wiping his mount with the back of his hand and thinking about Robert. “I just need to see him. Need to know if I'm still his squire for tomorrow anyway.” 

“Right…”

Aaron swallowed down the last of his bread and said his goodbyes. He left Clyde in the stables at Paddy’s, knowing the walk to castle would do him some good, allow him to clear his head. His trek led him through the market, the quickest route. He passed by Bob’s stall, the friendly food merchant waving at him as he passed. The fresh skewers of pineapple called out to him but he wasn't going to bribe him for the answer he wanted. As he passed by David's lavish new stall, he saw Val conversing with Pearl over a crate of strawberries. 

“There was some kind of argument over supper the other night,” Val was saying as Aaron passed by, the words just barely registering in his ears. “Princess Christine and her father, King Lawrence stormed out in a huff.” 

Aaron paused at the mention of Chrissie and he lingered a safe distance away, pretending to look at some blackberries on display. 

“Really?” Pearl said, leaning in closer, intrigued. 

“Had dinner with Diane up at the castle yesterday. Told me all about it,” Val explained. The queen was her sister. “Wouldn’t be sad to see the back of them if they went back to Hotten. Hardly the friendliest of folk.” 

“Certainly haven’t come into town at all the way the rest of them do,” Pearl agreed. “Even saw Prince Robert in the tavern the night before last. Though he didn’t seem to want anyone to know he was there. Spoke to Chas and then left.”

“Wonder if it had anything to do with her Aaron,” Val pondered, “Diane was saying–”

Aaron cleared his throat, suddenly uncomfortable. 

“Oh hello, pet,” Val smiled at him. 

Pearl did the same, “Didn’t see you there.” 

“You off to train with our Prince Robert?” Val asked, nosy, not that he could talk. 

He just nodded. It’s not like he was about to explain the whole situation, though he knew they would love to hear it, gossips that they were. 

“Well, you wish him luck from us, pet,” Val told him.

“Course,” Aaron replied and slipped away from them before they could pull him further into the conversation. 

By the time he reached the castle, his throat was dry, his palms clammy with sweat, his heartbeat the only sound he could hear. The walk had hardly worked to clear his head and Val and Pearl’s gossiping had only made things worse. He had been relieved to hear that they were hardly looking forward to having Princess Christine rule over them one day and he had dared to hope again that maybe they might be more in favor of him. After all, the whole town seemed to like him better now that he had settled down a bit. 

“Who am I kidding?” he cursed himself, just wanting to turn back now, go back to the shop and forget this whole ridiculous idea. 

Instead, he found himself standing in the shadow of the castle gate, watching the castle wake up and begin its day. The guards at the gate changed shift. Through the crossed iron bars, he could see the servants bustling about with food fresh from the gardens and washing that needed to be dried. Grooms from the stables were bringing horses out to be exercised and guards were heading off to bed after a night shift or making their way to their posts or to the practice yard. He craned his neck to see better when he thought he caught a glimpse of Prince Andrew walking with a dark haired woman holding a quarterstaff, his hands clenching into fists at both images. 

“Skulking?” A familiar voice sounded in his ear. 

He whipped around to see Adam standing there, a wide grin on his face and a cart full of fresh crops and meat from the farm behind him. Feeling his cheeks turning bright red, he quickly lowered his eyes to the dirt he was kicking at with his boot, suddenly finding it very interesting. 

“You hoping to see a certain Prince Robert walk by,” Adam teased, fake swooning the way he always did when teasing his friend about Princess Victoria. 

“No!” Aaron said quickly as he glanced up at him, reflex. “Maybe,” he admitted, shifting his eyes back down to the ground. 

“Yeah, Vic said she thought you two were having some problems.”

“Vic said? What?” 

Adam laughed and slung an arm around his shoulder as he gripped his free hand around the handle of the cart to pull it along. “Come make this delivery with me. We’ll get you sorted out.”

Aaron had little choice but to follow, confused. They made their way through the gate, the guards nodding at Adam like they knew him well by that point. He had been so wrapped up in armor and training that he hadn't even realized his friend had started making deliveries to the castle. Adam strolled confidently through the yard, waving here and there to people who knew him until they reached the entrance to the kitchens. 

“That farm of yours have an endless supply?” The head cook asked when she came to the door to meet them. She gave him a little wink as she beckoned them inside. 

The rich scents of baking bread and frying bacon filled his nostrils as he breathed it all in, his stomach suddenly begging to be filled again. Adam seemingly had the same idea, snagging a sausage from one of the work tables. 

“Oi! I saw that,” the cook said but only smiled at him. 

Aaron eyed a thick slice of bacon being taken out of the pan, his mouth practically watering. 

“Oh go on then,” the cook gestured at him and he hesitantly snatched it off of the platter it was placed on, feeling a tad guilty as he inhaled it like he had never tasted bacon before in his life. Never any quite so good, he grinned as he swallowed it down. “Didn't tell me there were going to be two of you nicking all the food in my kitchen now!”

“Sorry,” Adam said through his still beaming smile. 

“You're just lucky I like you,” she said. “Lucky she does too.”

The cook nodded behind her and Aaron turned to see Princess Victoria standing in the doorway, a matching smile on her face. She came practically skipping toward Adam, the skirts of her dress swishing this way and that as she threw her arms around him and kissed him. Aaron just stood there, wide eyed and slightly uncomfortable. After they broke apart, Adam set about helping the kitchen staff unload the delivery from his cart and then the two of them slipped outside, beckoning Aaron to follow.

“See you brought a friend with you today,” the princess said with a glint in her eye. 

“Yeah, found him moping about the castle looking for your brother,” Adam laughed and Aaron felt his cheeks burning up again. 

“Doesn't surprise me,” she sighed. “Only been watching my brother mope around the castle all day yesterday and this morning. Thought you were supposed to be training. The tourney is tomorrow!”

“He didn't show up yesterday,” Aaron mumbled, still taking in the fact that his best friend had actually managed to win the affections of the princess. 

“And he said you didn't show up the day before,” she said, her voice laced with an edge that made Aaron nervous. “What kind of squire are you?”

He dropped his chin to his chest, keeping his eyes firmly on the toes of his boots. He heard her mutter a quick ‘what did I say?’ to Adam who just came over and put an arm on his shoulder, sensing he needed the support. 

“I'm sorry,” Princess Victoria apologized. “What did happen between you two? He was the happiest I'd seen him in a long time and then all of a sudden he wasn't.”

Aaron looked up at her, biting at his lip. He wasn't about to spill all of her brother’s secrets if she didn't know them. Instead, he just stared at her, wishing the ground would open up and swallow him whole.

“Take him to the south gardens,” she said suddenly to Adam. “Wait there for me, I’ll meet you there.” 

“Vic, what are you–” 

“Shh,” she hushed him with a finger to his lips and gave him a smile before she ran off back into the castle. 

Aaron followed Adam to the gardens, impressed again by the way his friend knew his way around the castle grounds. The south gardens were nice, he supposed when they arrived, not that he was much into all of that. He was reminded of the time Doug had cornered him years ago to talk about the potential for Paddy’s garden back when he lived there, remembering the pain of the conversation much more than the subject matter. 

“So how long have you and her been…” he asked as they waited. “And how?”

“She actually came to help me build that fence,” Adam laughed as he sat down on a bench next to some red flower he couldn’t identify. His knowledge was in metal and different kinds of hammers, not shrubbery. 

“Really?” he cracked a smile of his own, imagining Princess Victoria hauling planks of wood. 

“More help than you were,” Adam teased him as he gave him a gentle shove. He laughed again, “Just sort of fell for each other after that, I guess. Just like you and Robert.”

It wasn’t a question and Aaron just gaped at him. 

“Speaking of…” Adam pointed toward the gate into the garden and Aaron turned to see the princess nudging her brother inside. 

He looked good, was Aaron’s first thought and then nearly rolled his eyes at himself. His blue-green eyes were tired though and his shoulders slumped slightly forward, not standing up straight. They hadn’t gone a whole day without seeing each other since they had started training together and Aaron hadn’t quite realized just how much he missed him. When Robert realized that it was him that he was meeting, his eyes lit up a little and hint of his infamous half smile flashed across his face before it faded again. Victoria seemed to notice it too as she pushed him further into the garden. 

“Now, we’ll be outside,” she gestured to herself and Adam. “You two aren’t leaving until you’ve sorted this out. Honestly Rob, if you keep up this miserable attitude, Andy won’t even have to try tomorrow.” 

“Cheers for that Vic,” he scoffed. 

When they were alone, they just stared at one another for a few moments, as if they were taking in all the little things they had missed about each other over the past day or two for Robert. They didn’t seem to know what to say to each other or where to begin anyway. Aaron had planned this whole speech in his head as he had walked to the castle, but every word of it had disappeared the moment Adam spotted him and seemed even further away now that he was stood there staring at the man in question. 

“Why are you here?” Robert finally broke the silence. 

“Why did you come to the tavern?” Aaron shot back at him, not meaning to sound so defensive. That wasn’t how he wanted this to go. 

“I wanted to see you,” Robert said quietly. 

“Why Robert?” It was the same question he had asked him the other day, when he had blurted out that he loved him in answer. He wanted the same result now. 

“Missed your sparkling conversation skills, didn’t I,” Robert turned it into a joke.

“Robert,” he said. It was a warning. 

The prince dropped his gaze to the lush green grass beneath his feet. “I can’t,” he said, barely above a whisper. 

Aaron’s heart dropped into his stomach. “Fine,” he sighed heavily. “Then neither can I. Hope everything works out for you and your princess.” He turned and started walking toward the gate, stopping briefly to call over his shoulder, “You’re Aunt Val and Pearl wish you luck tomorrow.” He wasn’t about to wish him luck himself. Tears stung his eyes as he left him behind, trying to decide how he was going to con Cain or Dan into delivering the armor tomorrow, anything to keep his mind off of Robert.

“Aaron wait,” he heard his voice faintly, sounding strained. 

“Why?” Aaron pleaded as he turned back around. 

Robert flicked his eyes back and forth between him and the ground as if he were trying to make a decision. Impatience was pulling Aaron’s feet backward again and Robert seemed to take note. 

“Because you were right,” he finally said. “I-I do feel the same. I love you Aaron.” 

Aaron stopped, feeling his eyes filling with tears again. “Say it again,” he said, wanting to make sure he heard him right. 

“I love you Aaron,” Robert repeated himself, “but I don’t want to hurt you.” 

“How would loving me hurt me?” Aaron blurted out. 

“Because I still have to marry her,” Robert sighed. 

“What?” he couldn’t even believe what he was hearing. “Why?” 

Robert approached him tentatively, took his hand and led him to the bench that Adam had been sitting on earlier. “Aaron you’re right. I don’t love her, but I can’t break this alliance right now. It’s the only thing holding everything together for me right now.” 

“So you’re just going to marry her anyway?” Aaron exclaimed, wiping away the tears that flowed freely now. 

“I’d hardly be the first prince in history to do so,” Robert pointed out. 

“This tourney, beating your brother, being named your father’s heir. It really means that much to you doesn’t it?”

“Earning my father’s trust, his pride, his love, yeah it does,” Robert choked out through his own tears. 

“You shouldn’t have to earn it,” Aaron said, his voice tight, thinking about Gordon even though he didn’t want to. 

Robert put a hand to his cheek, wiping away some of his tears like he understood. “See, I’m already hurting you.” 

“You don’t have to though,” he found himself pleading. 

He watched Robert sit back, taking a moment to think, his jaw clenching and unclenching. After what seemed like an eternity of silence, the prince opened his mouth again. “Look,” he said, seemingly having come to some conclusion and needing Aaron to listen. “I need the alliance to make sure the tourney happens.”

“But–” Aaron started. 

“It’s tomorrow Aaron,” Robert reminded him. “You can hang on one more day, yeah?”

“And then what?” 

“Well if I lose, the alliance is irrelevant anyway.”

“And if you win?” he asked, feeling that flutter of hope inside himself again and hating it. 

“And if I win, then I’ll figure it out. I don’t want to lose you Aaron,” Robert said, cupping his face with his large hands. 

Aaron melted into the touch, feeling like he and hope might be forming some kind of uneasy truce. Unable to wait any longer, Aaron buried his hands in the folds of the prince’s cloak and pulled him closer, pressing his lips hard against Robert’s. His lips opened underneath Aaron’s and the kiss quickly became more heated, their tongues tangling together. Eventually, they had to come up for air, smiling at each other, breathless in the cool autumn air. 

“Wylie’s?” Robert suggested. 

“I suppose we ought to get a few last hours of training in before tomorrow.”

“Arm strength training?” Robert said with a proper half smile this time. 

“Course,” Aaron said, kissing him again quickly, before pulling him up from the bench. “Gotta get you ready for that hammer throw. I saw you the day before yesterday, by the way. Still pathetic.” 

“Oi!” Robert cried, grabbing a hold of his bicep as if to prove a point and pulling him in for one more kiss before they left.


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aaron reveals the finished armor to Robert

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the long wait again. I had planned to work on it on Thursday but then Emmerdale had to go and give us that "get stuck in" conversation and then somehow I was drawing that portacabin drawing. But I finally had time to work on it, so here it is. Getting close to the end now. Next chapter the tourney will begin.

The tourney was today. The opportunity to get everything he ever wanted was here at long last. Robert lay there in his lavish canopied bed, expensive silk sheets caressing his body underneath the heavy fur blanket draped over top of him. A warm body curled at his side, soft curves and wrapped in the folds of a rich lace and silk. Everything was wrong. He longed for the rough straw of the thin mattress at Wylie’s stabbing at his skin, the feel of the scratchy roughspun blanket half covering his naked body, a hard, muscled body tucked under his arm, stubble scraping at his bare chest every time Aaron took a breath. He had hated to leave his blue-eyed blacksmith late last night, but he knew if Chrissie didn’t wake up beside him, it would ruin everything today. 

Sneaking back into the castle had made him feel like a boy again, back when it was Katie with him in that bedroom. It seemed like such a long time ago now. He had worked so hard to make something of himself after his exile, wanting to really be something when he came back, have something to offer his father. All he wanted was to be worthy of him and his love and now with one chance meeting it was all unraveling. He wouldn’t change it though; he did love Aaron. He knew that for sure and he knew that eventually he would have to do the right thing and tell everyone. He owed that to Aaron and to Chrissie, and to himself really. It was just hard. He was never very good at being honest.

The thought of telling his father that he was not only breaking the alliance and his engagement to Chrissie, he had fallen in love with a man as well, filled him with dread. It was just one more reminder that he wasn’t Andy, that he wasn’t the perfect son. ‘You’re no son of mine,’ his father’s words the day he was exiled echoed in his head and a vision of the disappointment on his face flashed before him. He couldn’t bare to see that look again or hear those words. That Aaron was just a blacksmith and not royalty or at least a noble wouldn’t matter. His father valued hard work, it was part of why he always loved Andy more than him. Andy was always willing to put in the hard graft while Robert always searched for the easiest way to do something. His queen as well was neither royalty or nobility, having married for love the third time around. Diane was once the owner of the very tavern Aaron lived in now, so perhaps he and his father were more alike than either one of them cared to admit. Still, he knew his father would have expectations of him if he became his heir and Aaron didn’t fit into any of those. The truth was, he wasn’t sure what his father would make of it all and he wasn’t exactly keen to find out. The unknown scared him more than anything. 

Chrissie shifted against him and his heart nearly stopped while he prayed she wouldn't wake. He couldn't face her, not yet. Staying perfectly still, he waited until she settled again, the steady rhythm of her breathing making him relax. Still asleep then, he thought, as he noticed that she had drifted a little away from him on the mattress. He took that as a sign and slid from beneath the too soft covers and planted his feet on the plush rug that covered the floor underneath the bed. Even that was too soft, he reflected, almost reminiscing about the splinter he got in his foot a few days ago getting out of bed at Wylie's. Aaron had teased him for making such a fuss as he had pulled it out for him. 

He dressed as quickly and quietly as he could manage. When he finished, he looked down and realized that he had subconsciously dressed down as much as his wardrobe would allow so as to better blend in in town. Aaron could have brought the finished armor to the top field where the tourney was being set up but he craved a more intimate reveal. After those two days of not seeing him, he missed him as well and they were still making up for the lost time. Slipping out of the room, he padded down the hallway, bumping straight into Andy in his haste. 

“Watch where you're going, Rob!” Andy shouted at him. 

Robert visibly flinched from the tone, not wanting it to reach the ears of the sleeping princess in his bed. He didn't need to deal with that right now. “Sorry,” he apologized. 

“You what?” Andy looked at him shocked like he was expecting a fight. 

“Good luck today,” he added as he went to move past, surprised by how genuine he sounded. He wanted this, but he couldn't lie that there was a certain appeal to the decision being taken out of his hands. If he lost, Lawrence would surely break the alliance himself and take Chrissie back to Hotten, no matter how she felt about him. His father would already be disappointed in him and he would be free to just be with Aaron. He could live in the tavern with him or they could fix up Wylie's together and live there. 

“Is that part of your audition to be father’s new fool? Something to fall back on when you lose?” Andy grabbed his arm, not letting him leave. 

“What?” he asked, shaking himself free of the thoughts of him and Aaron maybe working the old farm together. He didn't even like farming. 

“You, wishing me luck,” Andy said. “Is that some sort of joke?”

“No,” Robert sighed. “I think I actually meant it.” He paused and looked down into Andy's eyes, “Good luck, brother, really.” 

He found Victoria on the stairs, already dressed and ready for the tourney. “What have you done with Robert?” She laughed lightly. “Were you just nice to Andy?”

Allowing himself a smile, he said, “I think so. Weird right?”

“Definitely. Aaron has been good for you,” she grinned at him. 

“Yeah, he has,” he admitted, knowing it was true. He always felt calmer when he was around Aaron. 

“So you two sorted everything out yesterday?” She asked. “Only, Adam and I never actually saw you come out of that garden.”

“Yeah, well I have my ways,” he smirked, thinking about all the ways he used to sneak out as a boy, desiring adventure beyond the borders of the tiny kingdom. “Speaking of Aaron, Vic, I was going to go and see him now, mind covering for me if anyone asks where I am?”

“You mean like your Princess and her father?” She sighed. “Oh Rob, I do hope you know what you're doing.”

“I'm gonna make it right,” he assured her. “After today. I promise.”

“Then go and I'll see you at the tourney,” she agreed. “Oh, and good luck today, brother.”

He chuckled at her repeated words, put a quick hand to her shoulder and continued down the stairs and out toward the stables. Despite his best efforts not to draw attention to himself, riding on the back of his white horse drew stares and eventually recognition anyway as he made his way through the lower town. He gave up hiding altogether by the time he reached the market. There were mixed reactions to his presence. Some just stared, others gossiped, some wished him luck while others sneered, loyal to Andy. Diane's sister Val came out of the inn waved a hello to him, trying to get him to come over but he only had eyes for the tavern, for Aaron, right now. Tying Tommy up outside, he went in, not bothering to pull up the hood of his cloak this time. 

“What are you doing back here again?” Chas asked from behind the bar, her voice cold and defensive. 

“I came to see Aaron,” he said, more sure of himself than he was the last time. 

“Well he didn't come home last night. I assume that's down to you. If you've hurt him…” She trailed off, visibly upset and they were drawing stares from around the tavern. 

He moved in, closer to the bar. “I wouldn't hurt him, Chas,” he told her, his voice going soft the way it always did when he talked about Aaron. “So he's not here then?” 

“No, I've not seen him and I'm worried-”

“No need, Mum,” Aaron said as he appeared, coming in from the back where the living quarters were. 

“Where did you come from?” Chas gasped, hand to her heart, smile beaming when she saw him. Robert watched the way her eyes darted over him, looking for any signs that he was hurt. 

“Was at the shop and I spent the night at Wylie's,” he said and looked over the counter at Robert, “hi!”

“Hi,” Robert smiled at him as he came around the bar. He was careful not to reach out for him and Robert appreciated that but he wished he did anyway. Hiding was getting to be exhausting and he hadn't even been doing it that long. 

“You're here for the armor, I assume,” Aaron said, very professional. 

“Thought we might have a bit of breakfast first if you don't mind,” he said. He was starving. 

“I'd like that,” Aaron replied, giving his mother a stern look as she was about to open her mouth to say something. He led him over to a table in the corner. 

“This is nice,” Aaron grinned at him once they were settled with their breakfast. It was simple fare, buttered bread and sausages, but Robert found he didn't much mind. The food and the company were perfect. It was just the looks they were getting from the other patrons that were making him a bit uncomfortable. Robert had been with men before but never like this, never so publicly, even if none of them really knew what was going on yet. A bit of discomfort wasn’t going to deter him from this though. He loved Aaron, that was enough. “All we need now is some of Bob’s pineapple,” Aaron added. 

“Hilarious,” Robert gently hit him on the shoulder, thinking about Andy’s words to him earlier. “You auditioning to be my father's new fool too?”

“Can match Sandy ale for ale, think I've got a shot?” Aaron quipped. 

Robert couldn’t help himself but smile at that. He glanced over at the bar to see Sandy already started on his first drink of the day, or maybe the second. Honestly, he was shocked the man was even conscious this early in the morning. Maybe he never went to bed. Still, he had always had a soft spot for the old fool and hated to think that his father was replacing him, even if it was past time. “Mmm...perhaps,” he said as he shoved the last of his sausage into his mouth to stop himself from kissing Aaron instead. 

He looked up then to see two people shuffling over to their table. His body tensed immediately. They were Dingles and he was preparing himself for the hard time they were about to give him, assuming Chas had sent them over. He hoped that in time, she would grow to like him, once she saw that he wasn’t trying to hurt her son. 

“Preparing for the big day?” the man said, his hair going white underneath a flat cap. 

“Hiya Zak,” Aaron greeted him, looking more at ease than Robert had ever seen him. “Lisa.” 

“Hiya love,” the woman, Lisa, returned and then looked Robert’s way. He gulped, the bread he was eating caught in his throat momentarily. “Enjoying the local fare, your majesty?” 

Choking a bit, he tried to form a word but it just came out a sputtering mess. He felt Aaron’s hand on his back, soothing at first and then one hard slap, knocking the bread loose. Lisa and Zak suddenly looked nervous, a prince in their local tavern, choking on the food. He laughed instead and nodded a quick thanks to Aaron for the help. “Just Robert’s fine,” he said first, feeling strange being addressed so formally here, and then added, “and yeah, the food’s great, especially when it actually makes it to my stomach.” He flashed them a half smile to let them know everything was okay. 

“Oh that’s great to hear,” Zak pushed past the awkwardness. “You know our Marlon’s the cook here, just wonderful he is.”

“He’s entering the fool contest today too,” Lisa added and Robert wondered why a cook would ever want to be a fool. 

Now that Zak and Lisa had come over, another couple was approaching the table too, seeing an opportunity. Robert recognized them immediately and felt slightly sick, not even chancing another bite of his bread. Nicola was, well, a bit of fun when he was a boy, but Jimmy was Max’s brother. The once noble family had fallen on hard times after Max’s death. Shortly after, their father Tom had died and Jimmy and his brother Carl had lost everything. Carl, it seemed, had died as well while he was away and Jimmy was the only one left now. His wife was pushing him over now, inch by inch. 

Zak saw them and took that as his cue to leave. He reached out a hand and placed it on Robert’s shoulder, a gesture that warmed his heart in a way he couldn’t have quite put into words. “Well, good luck today, son,” he said. “Any...prince… of our Aaron’s is good enough for us.” 

Robert beamed, perhaps all of the Dingles hadn’t gotten the message from Chas to hate him. “Cheers Zak,” he said as he and Lisa went back to their own table. 

“Well, go on then, ask him,” Nicola urged him once they reached the table. 

“Your grace,” Jimmy said nervously, offering him a slight and uncoordinated bow. 

“Think we know each other well enough for you to call me Robert,” he said, hardly able to stand the sheepish look on the man’s face. 

“R-right, Robert,” Jimmy started again as Nicola prodded at his back and widened her eyes at him when he turned to look at her. “Alright, Nico, I’m asking.” He sounded exasperated and somehow that put Robert more at ease. 

“What is it Jimmy?” Robert asked after another long silence. He wished he could just get back to his quiet breakfast with Aaron. 

Nicola sighed beside him, pushing forward, “He’s entering the jester competition and we were wondering…” She hit Jimmy on the arm. 

“W-we were w-wondering if you had any sway over your father if you could put in a good word,” Jimmy finally managed to get out. 

“Can’t say I’ve ever had much influence over my father,” Robert said darkly, his nerves for the day starting to get the better of him again. Aaron seemed to sense that too and he felt his hand resting on his thigh under table in support. “I’ll see what I can do,” he said, even though he doubted his father would listen to a word he said on the matter. Things must really be rough though if Jimmy was looking to be the royal fool though and Robert felt guilty enough about it all to at least try. The man was always quite ridiculous though, so it’s not as if he wouldn’t be suited for the position. 

Paddy was the last to come over and even Aaron was sighing by that point, both of them wishing that they could just finish their meal uninterrupted and half wishing they had just gone back to Wylie’s or something. “I see everything work-worked out for you then,” Paddy stumbled over the words, gesturing towards the pair of them. 

“Right, Paddy, mind your own business then,” Aaron said shortly. “Let us get on with it then, yeah?” 

“Right, sorry,” Paddy apologized through a soppy looking grin. “I’m really pleased for you Aaron.” 

“Yeah, cheers Paddy,” Aaron replied at the same time he told him to leave with a flick of his eyes. 

Mercifully, Paddy took the hint and Robert couldn’t sit here any longer just waiting to get interrupted again. “Why don’t we get out of here and you can show me my armor,” he suggested. 

“Yeah, sound,” Aaron said as he grabbed his cloak from where he had draped it over the chair. He nodded a quick goodbye to his mother who was still staring daggers at them from the bar. 

The shop was quiet when they entered and gloriously empty. Robert took advantage immediately, pulling Aaron in by the fabric of his cloak for a kiss. He meant for it just to be a quick one, chaste, but he got carried away as usual, running his tongue along Aaron’s bottom lip until the other man opened his mouth for him and their tongues pressed against each other. Feeling the palms of Aaron’s hands flat against his chest, he found himself being pushed off, his lips sadly detaching from Aaron’s. He looked down at him, almost afraid, but relaxed when he found Aaron grinning at him. 

“Just hold on a second,” Aaron laughed. “I actually do want to show you the armor.” 

“Right, course,” Robert said through heavy breaths.

He took a step back as Aaron disappeared and suddenly the anticipation was killing him. He had seen various pieces of the armor when he had visited the shop but never all finished and together. A sound came from behind him and he turned to see Aaron wheeling out a wooden form covered in a sheet. So he was going to make this dramatic, Robert thought to himself as he waited, his foot tapping impatiently on the floor. 

“You ready?” Aaron asked. 

“More than,” he replied, well aware of just how eager he sounded and not even caring. 

Grabbing hold of the fabric, Aaron yanked it free in a flourish, revealing the shining steel, glinting in the sunlight that drifted in through the small windows of the shop. Robert stood there staring at it, taking it all in. He felt his jaw drop open slightly, his mouth just hanging there ajar. It was perfect, more than perfect. He remembered back to their first discussion about it, the scribbled sketches he had slid over that old table around the back of the farmhouse at Wylie’s. The end result was more than he ever could have imagined back then. Every surface from the greaves to the vambraces to the pauldrons was detailed to look like the scales of a pineapple, each one so precise. The gorget had smaller, whole pineapples carved out meticulously going all around it. It was the helmet that was the real masterpiece though, the same carefully chiseled scales culminating in the comb at the top which was fashioned to look like the leaves of the top of a pineapple. His eyes drifted over the exquisite work, finally noticing the sword tucked in to the scabbard at the waist, the pommel also a pineapple with gilded scales and green lacquered leaves. 

“So do you like it?” Aaron’s voice broke through his trance. 

“It’s-it’s-” he didn’t really even have words. Instead he just closed the gap between them and kissed him hard, hoping that would show him just how much it meant to him that he had taken such care with his ridiculous vision. 

The sound of someone clearing their throat broke them apart and Robert looked over to see Cain walking into the shop, shaking his head. He wasn’t quite sure what to do and he started backing up, but Aaron caught hold of his arm, keeping him there just a few inches away from him. 

“Do you mind?” Aaron scoffed. “Only we were kind of in the middle of something.” 

“I do mind actually,” Cain snorted, “trying to get some actual work done before we’re all forced to go watch the Pineapple Prince here go swat at his brother with blunted blade for several hours.” 

Robert expected him to give in, but Aaron just stared him down. “Just give us a few minutes, yeah,” he said through gritted teeth and then softened, looking back at Robert. “I have a few more things to show you.” He disappeared again with one final glare at his uncle. 

Cain surprised him by actually heeding his nephew’s words and leaving the shop but not before grabbing Robert’s arm and issuing a quick warning, “If you hurt our Aaron…”

“I won’t,” Robert said quickly. 

“You’d better not. Bad things happen to those who do,” Cain assured him and walked out of the shop. 

When Aaron came back again, he was holding a bundle of purple fabric and a shield that he couldn’t quite see the front of. “I asked Adam’s sister, Holly, to make you these,” he said, blue eyes hopeful. Turning the shield around, Aaron showed him what was painted on it, a gold field with a large pineapple in the center, simple but striking. He set it down, leaning it against the leg of the worktable and then unfurled the purple fabric. There were two pieces, a banner and a surcoat with the same pineapple sigil embroidered on each of them. His eyes widened at the effort. “So…?”

“Aaron, it’s all perfect. Thank you so much. I-I-” again he didn’t quite know what to say and this time it was Aaron that closed the gap and kissed him. 

They both pulled back before it got too heated. “We should probably go,” Aaron said. “Cain will barge in any minute now and we should go get you suited up and ready.” 

Robert nodded, the reality of the tourney and the decisions ahead hitting him hard again like they had when he had woken that morning. As he stood there with Aaron, everything felt right and he feared for the tourneys end, whatever the result because he knew that everything would change, one way or the other. He had made so many promises not to hurt Aaron and he didn’t want to break any of them, but this was him and as Andy and Katie would be quick to remind him, hurting people was what he did best. A heavy sigh escaped his lips and he felt Aaron’s hand slip into his, squeezing lightly, sensing that he was nervous, though likely for the wrong reasons. 

“You’re going to do great today,” Aaron told him, kissing him softly. 

“Thanks,” he managed and tried to draw strength from Aaron’s confidence in him.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The tourney begins and Aaron watches on nervously, hoping for the best on all accounts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the super late update. I had wanted to get it done before I went to Chicago but it just didn't happen and then when I got back I had pop toys to make and drawings to do and a roommate to catch up with, but this chapter is finally done! And it's way longer than I intended! Yay! Only one more chapter now plus the epilogue.

On his knees, Aaron pulled the belt tight around Robert’s slim waist and fastened the buckle, wishing he was down there for other reasons but there was no time for that. He bit at his lower lip as he stood, forcibly dragging his eyes upward, as he smoothed out the rich purple fabric over Robert’s chest, admiring Holly’s work on the pineapple sigil. Looking up, he found Robert’s eyes on him, intense, hungry. His teeth sunk further into his lip. 

“Ugh, don’t do that!” Robert whined, running his thumb across Aaron’s lip to pull it from the grip his teeth held on it. “You know what that does to me.” 

“Dunno what you mean,” Aaron said, a smile playing upon his lips. He knew exactly what it did to him. 

Robert grabbed at his tunic, one of his usual black ones, but his hand ran over the matching pineapple sigil he had had Holly embroider on for the occasion. “See you got yourself one of these as well,” he grinned. 

“Well I am your squire,” Aaron teased, wrapping his hands around his waist and pulling him in close.

“More than that,” Robert said softly and Aaron felt a warmth spreading through his chest at the sentiment. 

They both leaned in for a kiss but before their lips could meet, they felt the cool autumn air drifting in as the heavy fabric of the pavilion rustled. Pulling apart instantly, Aaron grabbed one of Robert’s black leather gloves and started slipping it onto his hand as Princess Christine appeared in the doorway, letting in the cold and the morning sun. A guard held the door flap for her but she dismissed him as she entered, looking over her prince with an appraising eye. Aaron cringed at the sight of her, angry at the interruption of such a perfect moment. She tried to dismiss him as well with a wave of her hand as she pushed between him and Robert and picked up his other glove, playing with it in her delicate hands. He wasn’t about to leave them alone though. 

“You disappeared so early this morning,” Chrissie pouted. 

To see me, Aaron thought, as he watched them. He had never really seen them together and certainly not since he had started sleeping with Robert. It was strange. Robert became a different person all of a sudden. Gone was all of the softness and vulnerability he displayed with him, replaced instead with a puffed out chest and an air of the smug, arrogant prince he knew that he could be. He tried to take solace in that but it was hard watching Chrissie reach out a hand to squeeze his arm. 

“Couldn’t sleep,” Robert replied shortly, “Big day. Wanted to make an early start.” 

“No, I know,” she cooed at him and Aaron felt sick, standing there. “I know this means so much to you.” 

“Yeah, it does,” Robert agreed, his stance becoming somewhat defensive now. 

“And to me too,” she replied and Aaron watched him soften toward her. He dug his fingernails into the palms of his hands just a little to keep from saying or doing anything stupid. 

“We just have to get through today,” Robert said and Aaron wondered if he were saying it to him or to Chrissie. 

“Yes,” Chrissie said, obviously thinking he was talking to her, and why wouldn’t she? She hardly seemed to remember Aaron was in the room anymore. Robert seemed acutely aware though, constantly throwing him glances over the puffed shoulders of Chrissie’s gown. He pulled his nails from his palms and tried his best to relax. 

“You will win,” Chrissie continued and Aaron hated hearing her reassure him. That was supposed to be him saying those words. It had been him, earlier. “And then you’ll be the future King of Emmerdale. And then Father will let us wed.”

“Ah, good old Lawrence. Has to make sure the decree is signed before…”

“He knows how much I love you. And…” she looked up at him with expectant eyes. 

“I love you too,” Robert said and it was so convincing that Aaron found the skin on his palms tearing under the pressure of his nails again. 

“Everything will work out,” Chrissie reassured him again and tipped herself upward on her toes, kissing him. It was more than just a quick kiss as well, Robert’s hands finding their way to cup her face the way they did when he kissed him. 

Aaron tasted blood in his mouth and realized he had been biting down hard on his lip too. 

It seemed like ages before they broke apart, Chrissie’s hands still all over him as they ran across the embroidered sigil on his chest. “And what exactly is this?” she asked. 

“Andy is wearing the royal sigil. I wanted a different one,” he explained. 

“A pineapple though? Honestly Robert!” Chrissie exclaimed. “You could have just worn mine.” 

“I wanted my own,” he sighed, “and it’s...it’s…”

“It’s what, Robert?”

“It’s a metaphor.” The words came out of Aaron’s mouth before he could stop himself and he hated himself for saying them. He should have left when Chrissie tried to dismiss him earlier. It was obvious he wasn’t wanted here. Who was he kidding, thinking he could actually have Robert? 

“Right! It’s a metaphor!” Robert said and grabbed his attention with flash of a grin. “And I need to finish getting ready,” he added as he took the glove from her hand. 

She leaned up and stole another kiss, quicker this time, thankfully, and then Robert shooed her out of the pavilion with a quick, “We’ll talk after,” and then they were alone again. Robert walked toward Aaron and handed him the glove, allowing him to slide his hand into it, the exchange feeling almost intimate in nature and not just that of a squire dressing his prince. He took the feeling further by leaning down and capturing his lips with his own, sloppy and insistent. Aaron opened his mouth under Robert’s, their tongues mingling together, and felt the prince’s gloved hands slipping under his tunic, the leather soft against his bare skin. There wasn’t time for this, but Aaron didn’t care as he felt Robert pressing up against him. They could stay in this pavilion all day and forget about the tourney. The sound of someone clearing their throat broke them apart again. 

“You ought to be more careful, Rob,” Aaron looked at the door to see Victoria standing there with Adam at her side. He knew his face had gone beet red from the embarrassment. “Could have been Chrissie walking in!” 

“It just was,” Aaron said, unable to hide the bitterness from his voice. 

Robert’s hand stroked his cheek, “I’m sorry about that.” 

“Could have been anyone,” Victoria continued. 

“Was Cain earlier,” Robert grimaced. 

Adam snorted, “Bet he was thrilled.” 

“Did threaten to kill me if I hurt Aaron,” Robert admitted. 

“Oh he’ll have to get in line. Don’t care if you are royalty,” Adam warned him. 

“I can take care of myself, you know,” Aaron protested, though he was secretly touched that his uncle and best friend were willing to stick up for him like that.

“You had best get out there,” Victoria said. “Father’s here and in his seat and Andy is already pacing, which is making Katie crazy.” 

“Good.”

“Robert!” Victoria warned him. 

“Sorry,” Robert sighed, “Can’t help myself. Right let’s go get this over with.”

“Hammer throw is first, you know,” Aaron laughed at him. 

“Oh god, don’t remind me,” he whined, shaking his head. 

Feeling bold, Aaron grabbed his face between his hands to stop it shaking, planting another quick kiss on his lips, before the four of them made their way out of the pavilion. Despite the chill, the autumn sun was high in the sky, giving everything a warm glow. Prince Andrew’s pavilion was off to the left, all done up in green and silver, the royal standard waving outside. Across the field, wooden benches were set up and filled all of the nobles and merchants of Emmerdale. The common folk crowded in the standing area, pushing up against a long wooden fence for the best view. On a raised platform, enclosed by a wooden structure, at the center of the mayhem, King Jack sat in an ornate, high backed chair, a stern expression on his face. The queen sat beside him to his right. On his left, Princess Katherine took her seat and to his right Princess Christine sat with her father King Lawrence and a younger boy, Aaron presumed to be her son. A dog lay at his feet. 

“God, he brought Dog with him,” Robert scoffed beside him. “I swear that thing is like a curse to me. I don’t stand a chance.” 

Aaron picked up the pineapple banner in his right hand and used his left to squeeze Robert’s shoulder. “Oi! You’re going to do fine.” 

“He’s right,” Victoria said, reassuringly. “At least don’t let your fear of Lachlan’s dog stop you.” 

“I’m not afraid of it, I just don’t like it.” 

Victoria laughed and grabbed Adam by the hand. “Come on, let’s leave these two and go take our seats.” 

“What up there?” Adam gulped beside him. “With your father? Can’t we just keep this hidden for a bit longer. They are!” He pointed at him and Robert. “Well, I mean, sort of.”

“It’ll be fine,” Victoria told him, pulling him along with her. “Good luck Rob!” She called over her shoulder. Adam looked back at them both with worry. 

The two of them turned to each other and smiled, sharing one final private moment before they approached the center of the field, Prince Andrew and his squire doing the same. They met in the middle of a ring painted on the grass that would be used for a few of the events that day. The two princes stared at one another for a moment before Andy smirked at the pineapple sigil. 

“Don’t,” Robert cautioned him. 

“You look nervous Rob,” Andy goaded him. “We don’t have to do this you know.”

“Going to concede now then?” Robert shot back as Aaron felt his body tense up. He wanted nothing more than run his hand down his back to calm him but he knew that he couldn’t. 

“Not a chance,” Andy said through gritted teeth. “You never should have come back here.” 

“Welcome Lords and Ladies and people of Emmerdale!” King Jack’s voice carried over the crowd and the field where they stood, halting the brothers’ little spat. Probably on purpose, Aaron reflected. He looked up to see the king standing on the dais next to his seat instead of in front of it, his hand resting on the back of it. Aaron knew from Robert that he was actually quite ill these days and that he was probably using the chair to support himself. He watched Robert notice as well, a crease appearing in his forehead. 

“Just over a fortnight ago,” the king continued, “My son, Robert, returned home to Emmerdale. It was so good to have my family reunited.” 

Robert huffed out a laugh at the last comment. Aaron instinctively grabbed for the hand he held behind his back and when the prince didn’t automatically push him away, he laced their fingers together for a fleeting moment and gave him a quick squeeze. 

“With his return,” the king went on, “I had a choice to make…”

“Forced into it, more like,” Andy muttered beside them. 

“You said it,” Robert agreed, though for different reasons. It frustrated Aaron that Andy really didn’t seem to get any of it. 

“...they will compete in seven challenges here before you all and whoever wins will be named my heir.” King Jack held up a piece of parchment. “The decree is here, already written, and with the kingdom as my witness, the decision will be made here, today.” 

“This is ridiculous,” Andy sighed.

“Nervous?” Robert asked. 

“Hardly.” 

“...let us begin,” the king finished as trumpets began to play, signifying the start. 

Both princes gave their father a bow and clasped wrists with each other to symbolize the respect they didn’t have. A page came out next and flipped a coin for them, Robert winning the right to go first. At least he had won something, anything to give him a confidence boost with the first challenge being the hammer throw. He took his position as Aaron brought the hammer out to him, placing it in his gloved hands. 

“Now remember everything I told you,” Aaron said, trying to prepare him. “Swing just the hammer first, let the initial momentum turn you around and then put your whole body into…”

“Aaron,” Robert stopped him. “Seriously? Have you seen his arms?”

Aaron paused in his motivational speech to give a glance toward Prince Andrew, watching the way the fabric of his silver shirt stretched around his biceps. It wasn’t the first time he had stared at the prince’s arms, but that was before Robert, before everything. 

“I’m going to lose.” 

“Alright,” he conceded. “Maybe you won’t win the first round, but you’ve got horseshoes next and then archery so you’ll have him on the chase then. Just try not to look too pathetic.” 

“Oh, cheers for that,” Robert gave him a smirk. 

“I’d kiss you for luck but…”

“Today, Robert,” Andy complained off to the side. 

Robert nodded and took his place in the center of the painted ring as Aaron went to stand with the other prince and his squire. His heart was beating furiously inside his chest as he watched Robert swing the hammer, once, twice, just like he had taught him. His body twisted around, as he moved toward the edge of the circle, releasing the hammer after pushing off with his right foot. His form wasn’t completely terrible anymore, but no matter how much arm strength training they had done, it still wasn’t enough. Aaron cringed as he watched the hammer tumble through the air to land only about ten meters from the edge of the ring. The crowd was silent for a moment, not quite knowing what to do, and then Prince Andrew started to laugh followed by Princess Katherine and soon the whole crowd was cackling at his failure. 

He watched Robert’s shoulders slump and he could see a red flush creeping up the back of his neck, as he kept his body turned for a moment. When he did turn back, he only had eyes for him and Aaron could tell he was trying to block the rest out. He stalked out of the ring and towards him, not even daring to glance Andy’s way. Aaron wanted to give him a hug and shield him from it all, but he kept his distance as best he could. 

“This’ll be easier than I thought,” Andy chuckled. 

Robert jerked his head toward him, malice in his eyes, and Aaron shot out a hand to hold him back. “Oi! Don’t give him the satisfaction,” Aaron told him, as he led him away from his brother. “Horseshoes and archery, remember?”

“Right,” Robert nodded. 

“At least it was better than your very first throw.”

“I hate you.”

“No you don’t,” Aaron said, more insistently than he meant to, needing a little bit of reassurance after having to witness him telling Chrissie he loved her. 

“I know,” Robert admitted, the words heavy with more meaning than they could say just now. 

They turned then to watch Andy take his turn, the prince tossing the hammer casually from hand to hand, making it look easy in front of the crowd. Robert hissed out a “today Andy,” to get him to stop showing off. His muscular arms swung the hammer with ease and his body twisted around with all the grace that Robert didn’t have, launching the hammer into the air. It sailed across the field past Robert’s throw before it even started to spin end over end and landed over twenty meters beyond his. The crowd erupted in a chorus of cheers. Even King Jack was clapping when Aaron glanced back at the dais. So much for being impartial, Aaron thought as he picked up the four horseshoes and shoved them into Robert’s hands. 

“Horseshoes and archery,” he repeated, as if it were some kind of mantra. 

Robert took the horseshoes in his hands, his eyes focused on the pages that were setting up the throwing targets, pounding the stakes into the soft ground. Prince Andrew received his own set of horseshoes and stepped into the ring with his brother. They would alternate throwing, each at their own target, Robert starting things off. The crowd quieted down at King Jack’s command, allowing for concentration as the second challenge began. 

Aaron stood just outside the ring, the other squire at his side. He didn’t know him well, but he knew of him, as with any member of a noble family. Kirin was his name and his father was currently courting Priya, the sword mistress. From Pearl, the human rumor mill, Aaron had learned that he had been having a secret relationship with Vanessa, the other horse doctor in the kingdom, not that he paid attention to such gossip, much. Squires and their secret relationships, Aaron mused, as he turned his attention back to his own. 

Robert had his eyes trained on the target and was lining up for his first throw. He couldn’t help the smirk that spread across his face as he watched him take it so seriously after he had spent the last two weeks mocking the event. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed the first horseshoe. It landed just short of the target, making him frown as he studied it, trying to readjust for his next throw. 

“Guess he’s not suited for this challenge either,” Kirin chuckled beside him, arms crossing over his chest. 

“Just wait,” Aaron told him, confident, as he watched Andy make his first toss, the horseshoe landing well past the target. “Guess it’s your prince that isn’t suited for this one.”

Robert got set for his second throw, tossing it just a bit harder. The horseshoe smacked straight into the stake, echoing across the field with a loud clang. The crowd cheered hesitantly, seemingly unsure if they were supposed to be rooting for Robert or not, but when Victoria clapped and gave her brother a loud whoop, the rest followed suit. Aaron watched Robert smile at the attention and couldn’t stop the quirk of his own mouth into a grin. 

“Better I suppose,” Kirin conceded, as Prince Andrew made his own second toss. Overcompensating, it landed well short of the target. He stamped his foot in frustration and Aaron took some pleasure in watching Robert laugh at his brother. 

His third throw was perfect, the horseshoe hooking around the top of the stake and spinning all the way around it twice before landing on the ground. The crowd cheered even louder. Andy took aim on his third throw, only the best throw mattered after all, so he still had a chance. Instead of utilizing that chance, he overcompensated on his overcompensation and overshot the target again, although not by quite as much distance. Aaron bit back a laugh and turned to Kirin with raised eyebrows. It was bloody horseshoes, but he was proud of Robert. 

He had the distance down perfectly now, his fourth throw easily caught the top of the target and slid down the stake with another satisfying clang as it landed right on top of the other one. Robert’s smile was smug now as the crowd cheered right over Andy’s fourth throw, just short of the target. The other prince’s face was red with anger now as he glared at his brother. Robert just shrugged in response as he left the ring to gather up his bow and quiver from Aaron. 

“Nice work!” Aaron congratulated him with a clap on the back. “Still not a fan of horseshoes?” 

“Oh I love horseshoes,” Robert grinned at him as Andy came stalking over to grab his own bow. 

“It was one challenge, Rob,” Andy pointed out. “Still have five more to go.” 

“It’s about to be two,” Robert told him with little room for argument. 

That didn’t stop Andy from trying though. “I’ve seen you shoot a bow, Rob. You’re not that great.” 

“Ten years ago, maybe,” Robert said, “I’ve been practicing.” 

True to his word, Robert easily made it two challenges to one, shocking everyone, including Andy and King Jack when all three of his arrows hit the center ring of the target. The last two were dead center, the second of them he finally managed the impossible task of cleaving the first in two. Prince Andrew just stood there dumbfounded as his last arrow erratically went wild, clipping the edge of the target before falling to the ground. Aaron didn’t even think he was trying by that point and the crowd seemed firmly on Robert’s side now. 

“When the hell did you learn to do that?” Andy was asking as they made their way out of the ring. 

“Had to keep myself occupied somehow while I was in exile,” Robert laughed it off but Aaron knew the real story. He knew that archery was what had kept him from losing his mind in those first few months on his own. It gave him something to focus on, some goal to achieve before he found his way to Hotten. Then he had used the skill to start winning archery competitions in tourneys so he could use the money to set himself up as a proper knight in King Lawrence’s retinue. 

“Feeling good?” Aaron asked as he took the bow and quiver from him. 

“I am as it happens.”

“Good, because wrestling is next and your brother looks angry.”

Robert leaned in close to his ear. “I’d rather be wrestling you,” he whispered seductively. 

Aaron felt his trousers tighten just a little and he pushed him back before it got too obvious, feeling his face get hot. “Later,” he warned him. 

“I’m going to hold you to that,” Robert grinned at him. 

Aaron watched him walk back into the ring, Jai Sharma, the castle master-at-arms coming out to cheers from the crowd to facilitate the wrestling challenge. They just had to make it through today. That was what Robert had said in the pavilion earlier with Chrissie. He hoped that he had meant those words for him and all his flirting made it seem as though he did. Still, when he saw Robert waving at Chrissie up on the dais when she called out encouragement to him, he couldn’t help but feel his heart sink a little. He wondered which one of them he was really putting on the act for and he found himself so distracted replaying all of their interactions over the past weeks in his head that he missed the start of the match. By the time he looked up, Robert was already flat on his back groaning as Andy pinned him down. 

They both shuffled back to their feet, the crowd caught in a tension filled silence, ready to cheer for whoever the victor turned out to be. Robert looked toward Aaron for encouragement and he found himself beaming back, just happy that he was one the prince was turning to. The two princes set their feet and placed their hands on each other’s shoulders, waiting as Jai counted them down. At the word ‘go,’ both men began pushing at each other, Robert looking determined. Andy was all strength and was shoving him toward the edge of the ring. If he managed to push him out then he would score a second point and the challenge would go to Andy with no need for a third round. Robert’s feet were nearly touching the painted line of the circle when he pulled out of Andy’s grasp on his shoulders and ducked down swiftly, grabbing at his brother’s waist. The element of surprise allowed him to maneuver Andy over the line he was just about the cross, scoring a point for himself. The crowd cheered tentatively and Aaron glanced up at the dais, seeing Victoria on the edge of her seat, hands gripping tightly onto Adam’s arm in anticipation of the final round. 

The pair got set again, this time breaking apart quickly once the round began, circling around each other like two predators on the hunt. Andy eventually made the first move, charging at his brother, but Robert ducked down, trying to use Aaron’s technique of grabbing for his legs to knock him on his back. Andy was already on top of him though and wrapped his strong hands around Robert’s waist, flipping him over onto his back. He hit the ground hard and Andy fell on top of him, gracelessly, holding him down until Jai called the point in his favor. The crowd cheered for Andy, following Katie’s lead. 

Robert was groaning and wincing with pain as he left the ring. “At least when I end up flat on my back with you, I’m in for a good time,” he muttered as Aaron looked him over. 

“Cheeky!” Aaron chided him, “You gonna be alright?”

“Oh yeah, great,” he sighed as he tried to straighten. Aaron handed him his new shield and the blunted broadsword, also with a pineapple for the pommel. That, at least, made him smile. “Oh perfect, more pain,” he said as he took the sword in his hands. 

Robert didn’t even stand a chance against Andy in the broadsword challenge. His brother’s strength overpowered him from the start, scoring three quick points in the first round with hard blows to his left shoulder, his right side and his left leg respectively, the last causing him to topple to the ground, earning Andy an extra point. The crowd turned on Robert fully at that point, cheering Andy on all through the second round, where he scored another four points and one extra when he knocked Robert’s beautifully painted shield into the mud they had churned up in the ring with their feet throughout the afternoon. Katie actually got to her feet and beckoned Andy over for a victory kiss when it was over. Aaron wasn’t quite sure what Robert could have ever seen in her. When he dared to spare a glance toward Chrissie and her father, they both just looked frustrated by Robert’s failure. He was outmatched in strength in both of those events though and Aaron still had faith in him. 

“Well my father certainly looks pleased,” Robert grumbled as he handed Aaron back the sword and the mud covered shield. “And tell Holly I’m sorry about the paint job.” 

“I’ll clean it off before the joust,” Aaron assured him as he looked back and took in Jack’s pride as he watched Andy and Katie together. 

“If I make it to the joust,” Robert sighed. 

“You will,” Aaron told him, chancing a brief touch on the shoulder. He felt him relax into his hand for just a moment before he broke contact and went to retrieve the quarterstaff. 

“Don’t,” Robert put out a hand to stop him. “I’ll get it.” 

Aaron marveled at the gesture as Robert went to pick up the quarterstaff himself.

“Giving your squire the rest of the day off, Rob? Or has he just given up on you?” Andy mocked him. 

Robert silenced him with a glare. Their mutual feelings about the quarterstaff serious and strong enough to stop any backchat. “Let’s just get this over with,” Robert said sternly and stomped off toward the ring. Andy looked almost apologetic, not quite sure how he had offended either of them and moved to join his brother. 

“Do you think he actually has a chance?” 

Aaron looked to his left to find Victoria and Adam standing beside him. “What? Got tired of sitting in your fancy chairs?” Aaron teased, allowing himself to relax after the tense moment. 

“Too tense.”

“No kidding,” Adam complained. “Can hardly feel my arm, Vic!” 

“Sorry,” she said sheepishly, turning toward him and giving him a quick peck on the lips. 

Aaron glanced back at the dais to see if King Jack was watching but he was focused on his sons instead as they set themselves up in the ring. “How’d meeting the parents go then?”

“Better than expected,” Adam grinned at him. “Though I suspect he was a bit distracted. Queen Diane is lovely though.” 

“So, a chance, does he have one?” Victoria pressed him again. 

“I think so,” Aaron said, less confident than he wanted to be. “If he can keep his concentration.” He hoped he wouldn’t be thrown off by the quarterstaff. The last time he had used the weapon he had just been standing there cursing at it. “Shouldn’t you not care who wins? They’re both your brothers after all.”

“I don’t want Robert to leave,” Victoria said quietly. 

“You think he will?” Aaron asked, nervously. 

“Now he has you?” Victoria mused. “No, probably not, but I don’t want to give him the chance. Besides, I actually think Robert would make a good king someday.” 

“So do I,” Aaron agreed. 

All three turned to watch as the match began. Andy won the first round with three points to Robert’s two. Aaron found his fingernails digging into his palms again but Adam noticed and came to stand between him and Victoria, taking both of their hands in his. In the second round, Robert managed to eek out a victory, three points to two. It was all too even going into the final round and Aaron felt his heart rate increasing and his breathing go shallow. Turning toward him, Robert flashed him a smile followed by an expression Aaron couldn’t quite place, but felt like confidence. 

The brothers squared off and Andy came at him right away trying to get the early jump on him, but Robert was ready, blocking the blow. The staff rattled in his hands a bit though and Andy was able to push him backwards toward the edge of the ring. Eventually all Robert could do was hold the staff parallel to him and defend himself until finally Andy scored a point. The reset quickly and the same happened again and Aaron swore he could see him willingly giving up ground. It took him till the third time and a cry from Victoria wanting to know what he was doing before he finally realized. He watched closely, hardly breathing as Andy backed him up towards the edge of the circle once more. Robert held the staff parallel to him again and just when Andy lifted his own staff to score likely the winning point, Robert flipped his grip on the staff, swinging it around and slamming one end of it into Andy’s stomach. His brother was so startled that he staggered backward and lost his balance. As he fell, Robert knocked the staff into him again, pushing him out of the ring, winning the round and the challenge. 

The crowd was stunned into silence, completely expecting the fight to go the other way, but when they recovered from the shock of Robert’s victory, they exploded into cheers. Robert threw the quarterstaff to the ground like he never even wanted to see it again and turned to Aaron giving him a nod. He couldn’t have been more proud of him in that moment. 

Adam clapped him on the back, “Only one more to go, lad!” 

“One more,” Aaron repeated to himself like a prayer as Robert ran over to him, hurts forgotten and smiling. 

Victoria ran over to him and threw her arms around him, giving him a kiss on the cheek and making Aaron a little jealous that he couldn’t do the same. Andy just glared at them as he made his way over to Kirin and slammed his own staff into the squire’s chest before he stomped off toward his pavilion. Kirin and Katie trailed after him. 

“Well you survived to the joust!” Aaron said, reaching out a tentative hand to his arm. “We had best get you into that armor I spent all this time making you.” 

Mmm, Robert hummed, a mischievous gleam in his eye and sinful smile on his face. Victoria released her grip on him and let them go, Aaron dragging the muddy shield with him to be cleaned. 

As soon as the flap of the pavilion was closed, Robert’s lips were on his, walking them toward the couch that stood on the far side. He pushed him down onto the soft cushions that Aaron had scoffed at earlier but was thankful for now. Climbing on top of him, Robert started to undo the laces on his tunic, never breaking the kiss. Aaron pushed him back, sucking in much needed air. 

“Oi!” he scolded him. “It’s you who needs to be getting undressed.” 

“Right,” Robert smiled that half smile. “Forgot. Carry on then.” 

The prince lay back on the other end of the couch, allowing Aaron to clamber on top of him. He reached for his belt and started to undo the buckle but Robert grabbed his face again and pulled him into another kiss. They weren’t going to make it to the joust at this rate but the feel of Robert’s lips on his, his tongue pressing into his mouth made him not really care. 

“God I love you,” Aaron sighed as they finally broke apart. 

There was fear in Robert’s eyes when he looked down at him, his breath catching in his throat as he stammered out a non answer. “I-I…” 

“Robert!” Aaron half yelled at him in disbelief. Hadn’t they been through this before? 

The prince wriggled out from underneath him and stood up. “We don’t really have time for this right now, do we,” he said as he undid his own belt and pulled the embroidered surcoat off. 

“Guess not,” Aaron said numbly as he got off the couch and forced himself to start fulfilling his proper duties as a squire. 

Why was he being like this? Was he backing out of everything he had promised him? All of his insecurities flooded back in. He felt sick.


	14. Chapter Fourteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robert faces Andy in the joust and finally makes a decision between Chrissie and Aaron.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another long one, these two are exhausting. Thanks to everyone who has stuck with reading this story. Last chapter before the epilogue and I finally made it to the part of the story that relates to the drawing! Yay!

Robert stood there in the center of the pavilion as Aaron moved around him, fastening his armor into place, pulling his surcoat back over his head, and buckling his belt over it. He performed the tasks as well as any squire would do, taking no pleasure in it as he had when he had helped him dress earlier that day. Aside from one fleeting moment where he had absentmindedly reached up and brushed his hair back into place, it was like they could have been strangers to each other. All because he couldn’t say three stupid words. He’d said them before, and not just to Chrissie earlier. He’d said them to Aaron in the south garden, said them again as he came when they’d had sex that night and once more in the early hours of the morning when he’d reluctantly left him to return to Chrissie’s bed. Every time, he had meant it too, so why couldn’t he say them now? Several times, he opened his mouth to try and force them out, smooth things over, but his mouth was dry and he couldn’t say them. Why had Aaron had to go and ruin everything? 

All he’d wanted was to come back here, kiss him, have a quick fumble maybe to psych himself up for the joust. He just wanted to revel in the moment, enjoy the feel, the taste of his mouth, his body but then Aaron had to go and make it all real again. He had to go and remind him that after the joust, no matter the result, he had a choice to make. Robert knew that in Aaron’s mind he had already made the choice but his own mind still wasn’t sure. 

He knew he wanted to be with Aaron, that he’d never truly be happy trying to make a life work with Chrissie. Still, he had never set out to hurt her. Lawrence might be a piece of work, but his daughter didn’t deserve what he was potentially about to do. He wished he was as cold and calculating as people thought he was, that he didn’t have a conscience. He also thought maybe he should just get over his personal feelings for the local blacksmith and put the kingdom first. This alliance with Hotten was supposed to be good for Emmerdale. That was what he had told his father. Surely he could deal with a loveless marriage if it made the kingdom he was meant to rule prosperous. Perhaps he could even learn to love her properly again? 

Aaron was studying him and Robert felt all the seriousness and magnitude of his decision weighing down upon him under his blue-eyed scrutiny. Allowing himself a moment, he stared into those eyes, pushing past all of the anger in them until he reached the part of Aaron that loved him. He tried to take solace in that, being loved by someone. Aaron’s feelings for him were more intense that Chrissie’s, he knew that for sure, and it made him feel safe and wanted and secure. All he wanted was to wrap himself in Aaron’s arms and feel that just for that moment that everything was going to be okay. 

Opening his mouth again, he tried to say the three words that would make that happen but he couldn’t push them past the image of his father watching Andy celebrate his victory in the broadsword challenge. The pride in his eyes as he watched his son kiss Katie made his heart ache. He would never look at him and Aaron like that would he? It was the unknown that made him question everything all over again. His head was wrecked. There was no way he was going to be able to compete against Andy in the joust. Pulling away from Aaron’s hands as he adjusted one of his pauldrons, he slumped back on to the couch, pushing one of the cushions off with a violent swipe of his arm. 

“You can do this, Robert,” Aaron said, his voice a raspy whisper as if he were forcing it past a lump in his throat. 

Robert looked up to see him standing over him, some of the anger disappearing from his eyes, those perfect blue eyes that had been the first thing he noticed about him that day back in his father’s solar. They had been the thing to settle him then and they still had the same effect on him now. He gazed into them, drawing strength from them despite the fact that they were brimming with unshed tears. It amazed him that even though he could tell that Aaron was so frustrated with him, and rightly so, he was still there for him. He thought of Cain’s and Adam’s threats if he were to hurt Aaron. He didn’t want to, but he just didn’t know what to do. 

“Come on,” Aaron said, his voice a bit stronger now, as he wiped away a tear that had escaped Robert’s own eyes. “No time for cryin’, you have a joust to go win. Tommy can’t do all the work.”

“Why?” he asked dumbly as he stood, propped up by Aaron’s strong hands. 

“You know why,” Aaron replied, casting his eyes to the ground for a moment. 

“I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, I know,” Aaron sighed. “Later, yeah. Go stab your lance through the skin of that pineapple, make your father proud and all that.” 

They both smiled at that, a private joke between them. Aaron's smile faded quickly though as he pulled him through the door flap of the pavilion making Robert’s heart sink a little even though he was the one doing this to him. He knew how to fix it too but still the words wouldn't come. That didn't stop him from trying one more time though, his mouth opening again, an unintelligible syllable escaping it as a delicate, gloved hand wrapped around his arm. 

“You’re doing so well out there,” Chrissie cooed in his ear. 

Normally he loved hearing compliments but just now, all he wanted was for her to leave. He could feel Aaron's anger and frustration radiating off of him and he knew her presence was just making everything worse. 

“Apart from an embarrassing showing with a certain hammer and the beating I took from my brother’s broadsword,” he berated himself. 

Aaron softened beside him for a moment at that comment but quickly raised his defenses again. Chrissie was oblivious but then Robert figured these were minute changes that only he would notice. 

“Father is well pleased,” Chrissie continued, pushing her way past his negativity. 

“Well that's all I've ever wanted in life,” Robert retorted, aiming for wit but it ended up just sounding sad. He lacked the right tone behind his words because the surly blacksmith to his right was distracting him. In the distance, he heard the laughter of the crowd, knowing that the jester competition was underway. 

“I thought I was all you've ever wanted,” Chrissie spoke again. 

“Right,” he mumbled, picking out Marlon, the tavern cook and Aaron's cousin...maybe, trying his best to juggle an armful of apples. 

“Anyway,” Chrissie barreled on, “I came to bring you this.” She held up a ribbon that had previously been tied around a braid in her hair. “For luck!”

She pointed to one of the tourney lances that lay to the side of the pavilion and he took the hint and lifted it up for her. She tied the favor around the end of it and smiled up at him. Letting his gaze fall to her, he drank in the sight of her, studying her like he hadn't earlier. She was everything a princess was supposed to be, beautiful in her expensive gown of red and gold silks and lace, her hair all done up in a complicated braid, woven with ribbons. She wore her wealth and station well and carried herself with confidence. When he had first seen her in King Lawrence's court, she was everything that he had ever wanted. Now, she was everything he was trying to convince himself he wanted. 

“You really are committing to this whole pineapple thing aren't you,” she said, gesturing to his armor and the lance tips. 

“What?” He said, not entirely paying attention. “Oh, yeah.” He nodded at her. “Well it's…”

“A metaphor, so you said. Well, you'll have to explain it to me after you win,” she smiled at him. 

“Right...after,” he mumbled out, caught up thinking about what ‘after’ really meant. 

She leaned in and kissed him and he felt his lips open under her's out of instinct, but pulled back when he heard Aaron scoff beside him. “Good luck,” she told him, “I love you.”

“I love you too,” the words fell out of his mouth out of habit before he even realized what he was saying. He just needed her to leave and he knew that would end the conversation. It did but then they both left him, Chrissie back to her seat and Aaron stalking off to see to the horses. 

“Aaron!” He called out, running after him. 

“Don't Robert,” he sneered and passed him Tommy's reins to lead him to the tilt. 

Clyde was there as well and Robert watched the way they nuzzled at each other as they broke apart. It was so easy for them and he wished it was as simple for him and Aaron. 

“God, I'm jealous of a horse,” he muttered under his breath. 

Aaron left him again, making his way toward where they were setting up the tilt behind where the jester competition was still going on. Marlon was just finishing, telling some joke or another that had the crowd roaring with laughter, especially Paddy who had come down to the front to support him, a little girl sitting on his shoulders smiling and giggling with the rest. He saw Aaron clapping for him too though he was still scowling but Robert hadn't even heard the joke. Probably for the best, he hardly felt like laughing right now. How had it all gone so wrong so fast?

Jimmy took up the makeshift stage next and Robert settled in at Aaron's side, hoping to get a word in but one look at him, his lips in a tight line and arms crossed over his chest, shoulders rigid told him he didn't stand a chance right now. Jimmy was trying to tell a joke about a sheep or something but Robert only caught the punchline or what was supposed to be anyway. It wasn't very funny. The former nobleman looked to him for a moment and Robert tried to smile at him for encouragement but he was sure it came out much more of a grimace than a smile. 

He watched Jimmy pick up a stick as a prop and hold it up like a sword. “Look!” He cried out, “I'm Prince Robert in a broadsword fight!” He swung the stick around and intentionally tripped over his own feet, falling to the stage. 

Robert just glared at him. It had only happened once. The crowd found it hilarious though, then and now and they were all in stitches. Apparently it was funny enough to even get Aaron to crack a smile beside him and let out a huff of a laugh. He turned toward him, incredulous. 

“What?” Aaron grunted at him. “It was amusing. You're amusing.”

Robert raised his eyebrows at him. 

“So in denial it's a joke,” he sighed. 

“Aaron, I'm-”

“Sorry, yeah. I know. But you just told her you loved her like it was nothing.”

“It’s just easy with her,” he blurted out and it was the truth, though not for the reasons Aaron was probably thinking. “With you…”

“Just don't, Robert,” Aaron warned him, jamming a finger in his face and not letting him finish. “We're done. Whatever this was, whatever this could have been. It's over. You love her and not me. It's fine. You said that from the beginning. I don't like it, but I get it.” He paused for a minute and then added, “And I'm going to stay here through the joust because I keep my promises and I need to do this for me.”

Robert cringed. He knew he was talking about his sorry excuse of a father. “Aaron, I-”

“What's that you said before? Why do you have to make this harder than it has to be?” 

“Aaron…” He started again as Aaron turned his head away from him. 

“Lover’s tiff?” Andy laughed as he came to stand beside him. 

“Just watch yourself out there,” Robert practically growled at him. 

“Oh I'm scared now,” Andy mocked him. 

Jimmy finished, drawing more laughter than even Marlon in the end and Robert turned to Aaron one more time to try and fix things. “Just let me-”

Trumpets sounded, calling the jousters to the end of the tilt. “That's your cue, your grace.”

Robert bristled at the formality of the title. It broke his heart not to hear Aaron say his name again. The trumpets sounded again and so he swung up into his saddle and took the recently cleaned shield from Aaron as well as the lance with Chrissie's favor tied around it. He was sure that Aaron had given it to him on purpose. Vainly, he hoped it did bring him luck because just now, he was going to need it. His head was all over the place. Looking to the dais, he moved his eyes past Chrissie and caught Vic's encouraging smile. He was well pleased to have his sister on his side but it was only doing so much for him. 

He urged Tommy toward the end of the tilt and tried to prepare himself, couching the lance under his right arm and gripping tightly into his shield with his left. Taking a look at the pineapple sigil emblazoned on its front, he tried to let the metaphor cheer him, bring him strength but it all felt hollow now. With one last lingering look at Aaron, Jai blew the horn that signaled the start and Robert found himself charging toward Andy and his new destrier. It was more Tommy’s doing than his and he was entirely unprepared as Andy's lance smashed into his shield, shattering on impact. His own lance hit Andy's shield but not from a good angle and skidded off in tact. The force of Andy's blow nearly made him lose his seat but Tommy carried him through, adjusting beneath him to help him stay in the saddle. Now he was both jealous of and incredibly grateful for Tommy. The white stallion slowed to a walk at the other end of the tilt and with that the first pass was finished and Andy was winning. 

Riding back to his side, he was in a daze, his left shoulder sore from the impact of Andy's lance. He could hear the crowd cheering for his brother but it sounded so distant to him. All he could focus on was Aaron. The blacksmith was loitering at the end of the tilt waiting for him, lines creased in his forehead. 

“Well I hope Princess Christine hasn't gotten used to living in Emmerdale, your grace,” Aaron snorted when he reached him. 

“I know. That was rubbish and I'm an idiot, now will you hear me out,” he said quickly before Aaron could cut him off again. 

He looked up at him, his blue eyes cold. “You what?”

“It's easy telling her I love her because I don't mean it,” Robert tried to explain. Aaron's expression thawed ever so slightly so he continued. “I thought she was everything I wanted but she's not. With you it's different. I've never felt this way about anyone before and it scares me a little if I'm being honest.”

“You said it before,” he pointed out. 

“Because you were walking away. I thought I was going to lose you.”

“You're gonna lose me now,” Aaron sighed. 

“It's just...it was still theoretical then. Now, all this,” he gestured around to the tourney. “It’s real. My father sitting there, looking on with pride while Andy kisses Katie to celebrate. What’s he gonna say if I just jumped down right now and kissed you?” 

The trumpets sounded again.

“Shit!” he cursed. 

“I guess we’ll never know,” Aaron said, handing him another lance. 

“Look,” Robert tried again. “I want you. A lot. I just…” 

“Robert!” Aaron shouted at him and all he could do was smile at him saying his name again. “Focus!” 

“I can’t,” he admitted. “I get that you hate me…”

“I never said that,” Aaron sighed and started pulling the hem of his shirt from where it was tucked into the top of his trousers. 

“What are you doing?” 

“Just hang on,” he said as he tore a strip of fabric from the end of the shirt. Moving to the end of the lance, he wrapped it around the tip and tied it tight. “There,” he looked up at him. “For luck. Now go.” 

Robert beamed at the gesture. “I don’t think that’s how the proper ladies do that,” he chuckled, his spirits suddenly lifting. 

“Well I’m not a proper lady,” Aaron grumbled. 

“Thank god for that,” he grinned at him. “Aaron, you know I-” 

“I know. Go!” 

Watching the way the frayed ends of the favor danced in the breeze as he walked Tommy over to the end of the tilt again, he couldn’t stop smiling. He was going to make this work. First he was going to beat Andy and then...he was going to make this work. Keeping his eyes trained on his brother, he lowered the visor of his helmet and readied himself for the sound of Jai’s horn. One moment passed and then another and then the piercing bellow of the horn reached his ears and he squeezed his knees into Tommy’s flank, spurring the stallion forward. The thundering of his hooves sent echoes reverberating through his body, jostling him inside all of that beautiful armor, but he kept his focus. 

Eye on Andy’s shield, he pointed his lance a little more to the left than needed and at the last second he swerved Tommy out from the tilt. The end of his lance collided with his brother’s shield, breaking against it. Andy’s lance just clipped the edge of his pineapple shield and fell to the dirt unbroken. Breathing a sigh of relief, he tugged on Tommy’s reins, pulling him to a stop at the end of the tilt. He patted his armored head with his gauntleted hand.

“Good boy,” he murmured to the horse as he turned him back toward Aaron. 

“Well that’s was better,” Aaron conceded when he reached him.

Pushing up his visor, he flashed him a quick grin. “Was, wasn’t it. Must have been that luck you gave me. Could use some more.” 

“What, you want a kiss?” 

Narrowing his eyes at him, he tried out one of Aaron’s scowls. 

“Need’s work,” Aaron laughed at him. God, how he loved that laugh. He untucked his shirt again and tore off another strip, tying it around the new lance he placed in his hand. “Not gonna have a shirt left after this.” 

“Fine by me,” Robert smirked at him. 

The trumpets sounded once more and Robert wheeled Tommy around. On the third pass, they both broke lances and Robert felt like his shoulder was going to fall off, splintering pain running up his left arm as the tip of Andy’s lance was obliterated against his shield, the blow stripping half of the paint off of it. He examined it as he waited for Aaron to rip off one more strip of his black shirt and tie it around the end of the final lance. His brother’s lance had driven right through the center of the pineapple, chipping away at the scaled skin. He was so close to breaking through to the juicy center now, he could almost taste it. 

Once more, he found himself positioned at the end of the tilt, eyes skimming over the top of the black fabric at the end of his lance to stare at his brother. This was it, one final pass and he’d either be the future king of Emmerdale or he’d be a disgrace all over again. Sparing a glance toward the dais, he watched his father watching them, eyes flitting back and forth between them. It felt reassuring that he wasn’t just focused on Andy. He slid his gaze back to Aaron, noting the fact that his posture no longer looked like he was ready to attack. He was tense still, but with worry and anticipation. It warmed his heart to know that maybe he hadn’t screwed things up completely. 

Jai’s horn sounded one last time and he and Tommy surged forward, galloping fast down the tilt toward the green and silver clad blur that was Andy. Gripping his lance tightly, he shifted in the saddle, holding on tight with his knees. As he clashed with his brother, he threw his whole weight behind the blow, his lance splintering his shield and shattering to pieces. Andy’s lance also hit home, breaking against the skin of the painted pineapple, chips of wood flying every which way. He felt himself wobble from the impact, slightly off balance from how he had shifted before. Dropping his shield, he attempted to keep his seat. Tommy steered him away from the chaos, moving with him just right, like they were almost one being, part of each other, until he slammed back down into the saddle and was able to grab hold of his mane. 

Steadying himself, he heard the crowd cheering but he wasn’t sure why until he twisted around to see Andy flat on his back in the dirt, his horse thrashing on the ground beside him. He ran his hand through Tommy’s mane and whispered a thank you, his ears perking up at the soft words. The brown destrier was braying with distress and he could see Paddy clumsily trying to climb over the fence to get to him but it was Aaron that got there first. Robert rode toward them as well, watching the way Andy tried to push Aaron out of the way. His surly blacksmith wasn’t having it though, crouching down beside the horse and calming it with a soft touch and soothing words. He watched as he made circles with his fingers on the horse’s forehead until the frantic neighing stopped. Swinging down from his saddle, he pulled of his helmet and looked on in awe as Aaron tended to the horse, getting him back on his feet again. He looked to him and got a nod that said the horse would be alright and then he strode over to his father. 

The crowd had gone quiet while Aaron had dealt with the horse but had since picked up again. They were chanting now and it took him a moment to register that it was his name he was hearing. The sounds filled him with pride but the look of shock on his father’s face made his heart sink. He had never really expected him to win, he realized. Andy was always meant to win in Jack’s eyes. The tourney was only to placate his sister. Balling up his armored hands into steel fists, he called out to him. 

“Father!” he shouted, getting his attention. His eyes had been watching Andy previously and that hurt. “I won your tourney, jumped through all of your proverbial hoops. Now, about this decree.” 

Andy was beside him now, yelling all sorts. “This whole thing has been a farce!” he caught those words loud and clear. 

“You’re just bitter that you lost,” he sneered at him. 

“You can’t possibly be considering this for real!” Andy wasn’t even paying him any attention, focusing on their father instead. 

“You made it clear in front of all these witnesses that the winner of the tourney would be named your heir!” Robert argued. “I hope you’re not going to go back on your word.” 

Honor meant a lot to his father and Robert was willing to use any means necessary to make sure everything was fair. 

“I should think not!” King Lawrence’s voice boomed over the din of the crowd. 

Robert cringed at the sound of his voice. It was as though in those few moments between passes, he had managed to convince himself that Chrissie and her father were no longer there, that they didn’t matter. Now he was being yanked back into reality. Glancing back at Aaron, he saw him still holding onto Andy’s horse, keeping him calm but he hardly looked calm himself, the scowl back on his face. He wanted to go to him, tell him everything was going to be fine but he couldn’t. 

“The decree, father.” Robert said again. 

King Jack, took the parchment in his hands and scanned his eyes over it, each delayed second passing by agonizingly slowly. Robert wanted to pace but he stood his ground. His father looked at him, studying him and then at Andy. Robert waited impatiently until his gaze finally shifted back to him as he picked up a quill. 

“You’re right, I made a promise,” his father spoke softly so he almost couldn’t hear him over the noise of the crowd. 

“No!” Andy cried out and Katie was on her feet as well. 

His father raised the hand that held the quill. Those closest to the dais saw and quieted quickly, the silence stretching through the masses until all was still. Dipping the tip of the quill into the waiting ink, he placed it against the parchment and spoke clearly. 

“With the kingdom as my witness, adhering to the terms I so set out, I hereby name you, Robert of House Sugden, my lawful heir to the throne of Emmerdale,” he said as he scratched his signature onto the parchment. 

Robert exhaled the breath that was caught in his throat, his eyes widening in disbelief. Despite all of his posturing and protesting, he hadn’t actually thought that this would ever happen. He felt tears pricking his eyes, overwhelmed, but he wasn’t about to let them fall. Staring at the scrawled signature for a moment, he then moved his eyes up to his father’s, shrinking back a bit from the intensity there. 

“Do not make me regret this, Robert,” he warned him. 

“I won’t,” Robert said quickly. 

To his left, Andy and Katie were claiming that it would only be a matter of time and to his right, Lawrence and Chrissie were assuring him he wouldn’t, but Robert blocked it all out. He held his father’s intense gaze and gave him a curt nod as a promise and to his surprise, his father nodded back and it felt almost like understanding. Still, there was a gnawing in the pit of his stomach and he knew he still had one last challenge to face. Diane was standing now, handing him a crown of flowers and he knew now was the time. 

“And don’t forget this,” she said with a smile. “Name your Queen of Love and Beauty...or…” 

The crown felt heavy in his hands, weighed down by the decision he was about to make. Diane’s eyes weren’t on Chrissie but behind him and he knew what the ‘or’ had meant. Glancing at Vic and Adam, he knew where their gazes lay as well. Chrissie though, only had eyes for him, expectant as always. More than once before, they had been here in this exact moment. He had won one of Lawrence’s tourneys and without hesitation, he had named her his Queen of Love and Beauty. 

“Oh Robert!” she exclaimed. “We did it!” 

The ‘we’ struck him as odd. She had nothing to do with his victory. That was all Aaron. Aaron was everything to him and he knew that. If he didn’t push past his fears now, he was going to lose him forever. Turning the crown in his hands, he looked at Chrissie one last time, the person he thought was going to change everything, and then pivoted on the heel of his boot to face the person who actually had. Aaron eyed him suspiciously as he walked toward him, the crowd gone quiet again as they waited with nervous anticipation at what he was going to do. 

“Aaron,” he said quietly when he reached him. 

“What the hell are you doing?” 

“I’ve been a right idiot today and I know that. I’m sorry,” he told him. He wasn’t used to all of his honesty and apologizing. It was exhausting. 

“It’s fine,” Aaron sighed. “I promise, I don’t hate ya. Just go. Marry your princess.” 

He looked so dejected, so resigned to the idea, the idea that he had put in his head that night at Wylie’s. It broke Robert’s heart to know that he was causing him all of this pain. “Aaron-”

“Just go Robert!” he raised his voice slightly, tears in his eyes, threatening to spill out at any moment. 

Now or never, he told himself. 

“I love you.” 

“You what?” 

“I love you,” he said again, the words feeling strange said in such a public setting but they felt right. “Now, kneel down or something so I can put this on you. Not that you’re not short enough anyway.” 

A beautiful smile broke across his face briefly before he cocked his head to one side, frowning at the flower crown. “You really don’t have to do that.” 

“Tough!” Robert smirked at him, gesturing for him to obey. Rolling his eyes, Aaron awkwardly knelt down and Robert lay the crown of very pink flowers down onto his head, a blush creeping into his cheeks to match them. “Perfect.” 

Behind him he heard his father shouting now. “What is this Robert?” 

He turned to see him standing, Diane urging him back in his seat before he overexerted himself. The crowd wasn’t cheering now but a low hum of murmuring gossip was spreading through it. Taking in the rest of them, he noticed Andy just looked confused, Katie smug, Vic was grinning ear to ear with Adam and Chrissie and Lawrence just looked irate. He slowly approached and he could feel Aaron’s presence, trailing behind him. When they reached the dais again, he felt sick, his heart racing, but Aaron laced his fingers through his and he felt himself relax. It was out there now. It was done. 

“I don’t know what game you think you’re playing Robert!” Lawrence shouted at him, his face red with anger. If he wasn’t careful, he would keel over before Jack. 

“I don’t understand,” Chrissie cried at him. 

“All this about promises,” his father said, finally sitting back down for Diane’s sake. “And you break yours the first chance you get. You promised me an alliance. That’s why-”

“You agreed to this tourney because you wanted to appease Victoria and because you were sure golden boy here would win,” he pointed it at Andy. “The alliance never mattered to you and don’t pretend it did. It was all just my foolish attempt to make you proud of me but that was never going to happen was it?” He was tired now, tired of trying so hard to break through that tough skin of the pineapple. 

“Jack,” Diane said softly in his father’s ear, “can’t you see the boy’s in love?” 

“Love! This is absurd!” Lawrence raged and then quickly, he switched tactics. “We can still have an alliance, your grace. Our Lachlan can marry your Victoria.”

“Father!” Chrissie exclaimed, eyes wide. 

 

“Uh, no she can’t,” Adam piped up and they all turned to stare at him holding tightly onto Vic’s hand. 

“Yeah, no thanks,” Vic chimed in and Robert smiled at her, wishing he had had his sister’s convictions all along. 

“You don’t really want an alliance with him anyway Father,” Robert said, wanting to get one last dig in at Lawrence. “He’s an opportunistic bastard. All he wants is what he can take from you. He wouldn’t give anything back unless it gained him something.” 

“Oh you’re one to talk, Robert!” Chrissie cut in. “All this time, you were just using me.”

Still holding onto Aaron’s hand, he turned to her and sighed. “I truly am sorry, Chrissie. I never wanted to hurt you, but this,” he raised Aaron’s hand, “is what I want.” 

“I don’t need to be humiliated anymore!” Chrissie shouted. “Come on, Father! Lucky!” She stormed off of the dais back toward the castle, dragging Lachlan by the arm, Dog trailing behind without a care in the world. 

“You’ll pay for this Robert!” Lawrence warned him as he went hurrying after his daughter, puffing hard.

“Heir for five minutes and already starting a war,” Katie laughed. 

“Honestly Rob,” Andy sighed, “What were you thinking?” 

“I can handle Lawrence,” Robert said, hoping he sounded confident. The foreign king was vindictive but what was done was done. 

“You had better,” his father told him as he stared at his hand still intertwined with Aaron’s. He felt self conscious all of a sudden but Aaron’s grip was tight and he couldn’t pull away. “This,” his father spoke again, gesturing toward their interlocked fingers, “this is what you want?” 

He stared at the ground a moment, unsure of what to say. Of course it was, but how did he tell his father that? He had already disappointed him so much today. Feeling Aaron’s fingers tighten around his in encouragement gave him some measure of strength to raise his gaze back up to meet his father’s. “Yes,” he said. 

Jack looked to Diane and she gave him a stern look that allowed no room for argument. He didn’t say anymore but simply nodded and that single gesture meant more to him than he could say. 

“You can’t be serious,” he heard Andy say but he had already turned to Aaron again, staring into those blue eyes of his. 

“Well go on then,” Vic urged him. 

Robert didn’t need to be told twice. He let go of Aaron’s hand and threw his arms around him, wrapping one hand around the back of his neck and pulling him in close, pressing his lips against his. The whispering gossip of the crowd came to a halt around them as they must have seen what was happening and then all of a sudden a loud cheer erupted, the sound enveloping their little bubble. Robert pulled back for air, breathing heavily, tasting something on his tongue. 

“Were you eating pineapple earlier?” he asked.

“Maybe,” Aaron grinned at him. “I hear you like that sort of thing.” 

Mmm, Robert hummed. 

“Let’s try this again then, shall we,” Aaron said and Robert wasn’t quite sure where he was going with that. “I love you.” 

“I love you too,” he said it back without any hesitation this time and smiled into another kiss. 

[](http://tinypic.com?ref=rqxls3)


	15. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Four years later...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it! The story is done. First thing I've finished in fifteen years. Thanks to everyone who stuck with this and commented and left kudos. It definitely helped to keep me going. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy this fluffy ending...

\- FOUR YEARS LATER -

“Oi!” Marlon shouted at him. “I just made that!”

Aaron looked up at him, his cheeks puffed out, filled with half a sticky toffee pudding, the other half still in his sticky fingers. Chewing as quick as he could, he swallowed and tried out one of Robert’s charming smiles, hoping it might have a similar effect. Marlon just sighed dramatically and threw up his hands in disgust. 

“That was supposed to be for tonight!” Marlon pointed out, clearly exasperated. 

“And I probably would have been the one eating it,” Aaron said with a grin. 

“Cheeky,” Marlon grumbled as he got back to work. 

Aaron watched him as he finished off the rest of the cake, licking his fingers after. He eyed the tray he'd taken it from and seriously considered stealing another one but thought he'd give his cousin a break for once. Marlon was in his element here, ordering the kitchen staff about, though he knew that half of them secretly were fed up with him. Something about him being very particular with his knives, or so he'd heard. 

He'd been the head cook in the castle kitchens for nearly three years now. Jimmy had beat him in the jester competition and he had slunk back to the tavern, defeated. Marlon had put up with a lot helping his mum and Paddy deal with him when he had first arrived in Emmerdale though so he had wanted to do something for him, now he could. It had taken a long time for King Jack to get used to the idea of him being with Robert, far longer than he had thought it would. Robert sadly hadn't been wrong on that matter. Eventually though, he had seen sense or at least got tired of Diane and Vic pestering him all of the time. When they had finally married, only a month before Robert’s coronation, Aaron had asked if Marlon could cook the feast for the wedding. He had broached the subject of a more full time position as the king was finishing off the last of his pineapple tart, Robert’s request, and he had agreed. 

Of course that had meant his mother was then without a cook at the tavern. He had felt terrible about that but she assured him she was thrilled for Marlon. It also helped that she had already taken quite a liking to the man she had gotten to replace him. He was like to be her husband soon as well as her cook. Aaron still wasn't totally sure about him but Paddy liked him and that went a long way toward reassuring him. 

“Happy looks good on both of you,” Paddy had told him over a pint one night and he couldn't disagree with that. 

Another sticky toffee pudding disappeared off of the tray beside him and Aaron followed the trail of drizzled toffee to find Adam grinning as he shoves it into his mouth whole. Laughing at his best friend, he drew Marlon’s attention to them. The cook gestured wildly at them and then the tray and then back to them.

“Oh come on!” Marlon complained. “I’m not going to have anything left to serve for dessert. Honestly, you two are royalty now. Shouldn’t pinching food from the kitchens be beneath you or something?” 

“Still a farm boy at heart, this one,” Aaron jerked his thumb over his shoulder at Adam who didn’t argue with him. 

“And what’s your excuse then?” Marlon sighed. 

“Well I am still a Dingle,” Aaron smiled. “What’s that Uncle Zak was always teaching me? If you’re going to steal, steal from the rich. Can’t get much richer than the king, can ya?”

“Your logic astounds me!” Marlon said with dramatic flare. “Now get out you two before there’s no food left!” 

Adam tugged on the sleeve of the simple black doublet he wore and pulled him out of the kitchen, giggling like children as they went. Aaron stole one final item on their way out and shoved it into the bag he’d brought with him before Marlon could see and make a fuss. When he saw, Adam raised his eyebrows at him and urged him to run faster through the yard. 

“Marlon’s gonna kill you when he sees you’ve taken that as well,” Adam laughed as they struggled to catch their breath. 

“Oh he’ll get over it,” Aaron grinned. 

“Not if Robert’s yelling at him about not getting his favorite.” 

“Good thing I got it for Robert then!”

“Ha! Speaking of ‘The King’,” Adam spoke with all of the theatrics of the play he was forced to endure the other night. “Vic sent me to find you, said he was looking for you. Apparently the ‘great gate’ is done!” 

“Right. Then I better get this to him then,” Aaron said as he patted his full bag. 

Adam slung his arm around Aaron’s shoulders as they walked through the north courtyard of the castle toward the newly finished gate, enjoying the warm, end of summer, sun on their faces. At the main gate, Adam came to a stop and stood there peering out through the bars at the kingdom beyond. 

“What are you doing?” Aaron asked. 

“Just thinking about all those days I spent looking at all this,” he waved his hand toward the castle, “from out there.”

“Skulking,” Aaron smirked at him. 

“Alright, alright,” Adam poked at his side causing him to squirm away. “Skulking. Paid off though didn’t it?” 

“Thank god for mended fences,” Aaron smiled at the memory. 

“We’ve certainly come along way, me and Vic and you and Robert,” Adam said fondly.

“Yeah, we have,” Aaron agreed. 

“Well, best get back to her and Jack then,” Adam said. “See ya in a bit!” 

“See ya in a bit,” Aaron repeated as he watched him go and continued the rest of the way to the gate on his own. 

\-----

Robert stroked his hand over his father’s face, stone scraping at his fingers. The sculptors had done a fine job with the likeness. It was almost eerie when he came to visit, like he really was there looking down at him. Those imposing features etched into stone forever that a few years ago would have made him feel small and unworthy but now seemed to fill him with warmth. It had taken a long time, but eventually the two of them had come to an understanding. 

“I didn’t get it,” his father had said one night as he sat, perched on the edge of his sickbed only a month before he passed, “You and Aaron. I didn’t get it at first.” 

Robert had nodded, shifting back a few inches out of habit, as if bracing himself for some kind of emotional blow. “And now?” he asked, genuinely curious. Jack had finally allowed them to marry two years prior, shortly before his coronation when Jack had been forced to step down from the day to day running of the kingdom. Still, he was never quite sure where he stood with his father and if he only accepted his relationship with Aaron because of Diane and Victoria. 

“I see how much you love him.” Jack had coughed then and Robert had slid those few inches back toward him, holding out a handkerchief for him to use. He gratefully accepted it, coughed a few more times and then turned back to look at him, expression serious. “I see how much you love him and how much he cares for you as well. He’s changed you over the years. You’re more settled now, calmer.”

Robert had nodded again. All of that was certainly true though he still felt tense having this conversation. Even after all of this time, he still felt like Jack could just take any approval he had given back from him and he would be right back where he started, clawing away at the scaled skin of that pineapple. He wasn’t sure Jack ever quite understood the metaphor and he’d been less than pleased when Robert had decided to change the royal sigil to the one that Holly had designed for him for the tourney. 

“At least now you can be in the same room as your brother without tearing chunks out of each other,” Jack had mused. 

Robert had laughed softly at that. That was true too. After the coronation, Andy and Katie had left the castle, setting themselves up an estate at Wylie’s Farm. He hadn’t been pleased at all as that had been his place with Aaron, but as always Aaron had gotten him to see sense, informing him that he was being a selfish git, so he had relented. They came by now and then for a meal and things were fine. It was refreshing actually, not to be on edge all the time. 

“He’s good for you,” his father had continued, “I see that now. And not just because Diane and your sister have beat it into me.”

“Thank you,” Robert had said, unable to keep the corners of his mouth from quirking up in a small smile at the thought of Aaron having won his father over. He had that effect on most people once they saw past all of his rough edges. 

“And you,” Jack had gone on. “I admit, when I staged that tourney, I had hoped your brother would win.”

Robert had swallowed hard then. It hurt to hear his father actually admit to it, but it felt good too, that it wasn’t all just in his head the way everyone usually claimed. 

“I’m not sorry you won in the end though,” his father had said, grabbing his arm to get his full attention back. “You’ve really stepped up, Robert. Over the past two years, I’ve watched you thrive as King, surprised me more than I can say. I’m proud of you and I wanted you to know that.” 

The lump in his throat had tripled in size and tears had pricked his eyes, but he held them back. He had beamed instead, a smile stretching across his face, sincere and genuine, because for the first time it seemed like, his father was proud of him. That was all he had ever wanted. Words had escaped him but he had placed his free hand over Jack’s and squeezed tight, trying to convey all he was thinking into the simple gesture. 

“The kingdom is in good hands,” Robert said to him now as he laid a single red rose at the foot of the statue. “I promise.”

He smiled a sad smile, wishing they had had more time together, and then turned and walked down the hill toward the lower part of the south garden where he found Victoria laughing as she chased after his nephew, stumbling through flowerbeds on chubby legs. Watching for a moment, he saw her catch him, scoop him up in her arms and swing him about with a massive grin on her face. His own expression soon mirrored hers at the sight. The boy saw him then and wiggled out of his sister’s grasp, racing over to him and throwing his arms about his long legs. 

“Well, hello there, your grace!” Robert said in a formal tone, biting back his grin as he stooped down to meet him at his level. “And how are you today?” 

“Uncle Robert!” he giggled. “It’s just Jack!” 

“My mistake, Just Jack,” he said, still serious, though it was getting harder not to break when that face was staring up at him, the same goofy grin his father had. “So, how is my favorite nephew?”

“I’m you’re only nephew!” Jack protested. 

“Are you?” Robert finally cracked, chuckling at the little boy as he reached out to tickle him under the arms until they were both giggling. 

“Alright you two!” Vic mockingly scolded them. “Come on Jack, let’s go find your father.” 

“Bye Bye, Uncle Robert!” the boy chirped. 

“Bye Bye Jack,” he mimicked him with a little wave as he stood up again, brushing a few blades of grass off of his maroon patterned doublet. 

“Oh, I sent Adam to find Aaron for you,” Vic said. “Should be waiting for you by your precious gate.” 

“Thanks Vic,” he nodded at her. “Take care of the future King of Emmerdale there for me!” 

“I will,” she told him as she took Jack’s hand. When he had been born, he and Aaron had decided then to name him as his heir as they weren’t going to have any children of their own. 

Robert waved again and swung up into the saddle of his horse, urging Tommy back toward the castle. When they reached the stables, the stable boys gave him a wide berth, knowing he preferred to look after his own horse. Tommy trotted happily into his stall, immediately finding Clyde in the stall beside his, their noses nuzzling together. Robert just laughed watching them, thinking that these days unless both he and Aaron were out for a ride together, he probably preferred to stay in his stall with Clyde. Their bond seemed as tight as it ever had.

When he reached the new gate, he looked around but didn’t see Aaron anywhere, just the builders waiting for his arrival for the big reveal, large tarps hanging over the structure. He paced back and forth as a means of passing the time until his husband appeared, never fully settled unless he had Aaron by his side. After a few minutes he was stopped in his tracks as a strong arm wrapped around his chest, pulling him tight against the chest of the person who had snuck up behind him. His heart raced for a second, body tensing, until he finally realized it was just Aaron playing around. Spinning on his heel, he glared at him and the pouted, seeing him smirking back at him. 

“Thought I was one of Lawrence’s assassins, didn’t you?” Aaron teased him. 

“Not really a joking matter,” Robert argued, still a little shaken if he was being completely honest. 

“Suppose not,” Aaron agreed, squeezing his shoulder in apology. “But it’s been ages, Robert. Nothing’s happened since you sent that stonemason his way anyway.” 

Robert grinned now, thinking about his discovery. He had put out a call workers to start on the new gate and when Ronnie had shown up, he had taken an instant liking to him. The man reminded him of Aaron in a lot of ways. They had got to talking one day and he had discovered that Ronnie was an old lover of Lawrence’s, confirming all of the suspicions he had ever had about the insufferable man. When he had explained the situation to Ronnie, the man had been more than happy to pay his old friend a visit and since then, they had had no more trouble. 

“Lucky find, he was,” Robert said. 

“I’ll say,” Aaron agreed. 

“You ready then?” Robert asked now, wrapping his arms around Aaron’s waist and resting his chin on his shoulder as they both looked up at the covered gate. 

“Guess so,” Aaron said. 

Robert signaled to the builders to drop the tarps. As the fabric fell away, their eyes were greeted by the sight of the new gate, a wide, rounded arch, gilded and gleaming in the sun, the surface carved to look like the scales of a pineapple just like the suit of pineapple armor that Aaron had made him all those years ago. At the top of the archway, gilded leaves sprouted up, forming the crown of the fruit. It was exquisite work. 

“It’s perfect,” Robert whispered. 

“It’s ridiculous,” Aaron laughed and it was still the most beautiful sound in the world to him. “Armor, a gate, the new royal sigil...and all because you found a pineapple in a basket in your room when you first arrived. Bit extreme, don’t you think?” 

“You love it!” he protested, trying to sound offended. 

“I love you,” Aaron said and laughed again. “God knows why though.”

“Oi!” Robert cried, tickling him the way he had Jack earlier until Aaron pulled away and held up his hands in surrender. 

“Alright, alright! I love it. It’s perfect and all that,” he said, still chuckling. “Brought you something, by the way. Nicked it from Marlon.” From his bag, he pulled out a full pineapple and Robert couldn’t help himself but smile. “Want to do the honors, my knight in pineapple armor?” 

He handed him a knife as well and Robert took them both in hand. “I love you too,” he said and leaned in for a kiss, their lips molding together perfectly before they pulled apart. Then, pineapple in one hand and his other wrapped around the hilt of the knife, he plunged the blade through the outer skin, finding the juicy center that was now his life. 

THE END


End file.
